Dark flames of superstition
by Bloodra
Summary: Blaze the Flareon has lived her entire life with her trainer Blair. What happens after an incident when she becomes seperated from her trainer and meets a shiny Absol? Does Blaze trust this Absol? Does she want to go back to her trainer? Summary kinda sux
1. Chosen fate

**I came up with this idea a while ago after I had a random conversation with my boyfriend over the phone. I don't expect it to be popular but I need to relieve my mind from the buzzing inspiration! I do hope you enjoy.**

**The almighty disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon, just the characters that are in this story.**

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"Hey Blaze, pay attention to the conversation!" an annoyed Raichu rasped. I slightly shook my head and directed my full attention to the two Pokemon in front of me. Shock, the ill-tempered Raichu, was angry with me for not answering his question. Meanwhile a very concerned and nervous Mawile named Cringe stood silently beside the upset Raichu without a single comment. I glanced toward my front paws quickly, and then back at Shock. What was it that he asked? I took a moment to think but my thoughts were upheld by daydreams, which earned a glare from Shock doing so. From the corner of my eye I saw Cringe giving me a face saying 'Hurry up and say something!' I finally faced Shock eye to eye and asked him the question that may end the world as we know it.

"What was it that you asked?" I questioned as nicely as I could. My existence may end after that simple sentence.

"I SAID," Shock emphasized said, "did you hear about the dreadful thunderstorm near Hearthome city?"

Thank Arceus that I am still breathing! "Afraid not." I answered bluntly. Now that I think of it, we aren't too far away from Hearthome…

Cringe looked at me with slight confusion. "But the storm happened last night and woke everyone up. Well except you… But we saw the storm from the Veilstone Pokemon Center. It looked really bad."

The funny thing about Cringe is that when she's battling, she is a tough and determined opponent. But if you get to know her outside the arena then you'll find her acting kind of shy and friendly. At first I thought she was bipolar but I suppose she just hardens up for the battles but just keeps her normal attitude afterwards. I always inspired that and we've been very good friends since a year ago when my trainer Blair traded her Azumarill named Aqua for Cringe. Aqua and I never got along and not just because we were opposing types. Nonetheless, my trainer Blair is perhaps maybe thirteen in human years. I'm not too sure. Anyway, Blair has long red hair that goes to her waistline but for some reason she puts them is droopy pigtails. Her bangs cover her eyebrows so sometimes you can't really tell her facial expressions without really straining your eyes doing so. Her eyes are a mix of purple and silver, which still hypnotizes me to this day. She is totally in love with fire types though she still has an open heart for other types too. She wears black baggy cargo pants and black shoes with a fire symbol on each side of each shoe. She wears a similar T-shirt, black with a fire symbol on the front. However she wears a plain jet-black jacket that has two tails poke out from behind and her sleeves seemed to get bigger by the end of her each sleeve.

"Hey guys." A Blaziken with folded arms walked towards our group with a tiny smirk. "Just coming by to say that we're heading out soon so don't get too comfortable."

"'Kay." We all muttered in unison as the Blaziken went back from whence he came. Apparently that would be sitting next to Blair who was seated on a chair provided by the Pokemon Center. That intimidating yet thoughtful Blaziken's name is Inferno, Blair's first Pokemon ever. They have a friendship that no one can break. Inferno was just a Torchic when he met Blair, who was ten, I was told. Even though I was Blair's third Pokemon ever, and I have been around with Inferno for almost the longest, there is always this slight nervous feeling I get when I'm around him. It's kinda sad because he's a real nice guy.

"So anyway," Shock continued on with the previous conversation, "you didn't see the storm at all?"

I shook my head. Shock shrugged and trotted towards an empty seat of the nearest sofa and lied on it. He must be resting up a little before we travel again. Blair let's us out of our Pokeballs a lot and we enjoy that. If we were to ever be in them then it would be because of serious injury or sheer laziness.

Cringe's attention turned towards me and she smiled a little bit. "So what now?"

I sighed a little and took a moment in thought. Then I thought of the perfect plan. "I suppose I'll steal Shock's idea and rest up a little."

"Oh alright then. I'm going to chat with Thorn then. Have a nice nap." Cringe gleamed and scurried off towards the oddly colored Roserade. According to Blair, Thorn was a 'shiny'. I wonder what other Pokemon would look like if they were 'shiny'. Thorn is nice to me all the time and treats me like a sister whilst our type differences. Not to be mean or anything but I connect more with Thorn than Cringe. I yawned heavily and shook my fur a little. Yep, a nap would be nice. I sluggishly strut towards the sofa Shock is sleeping on and took the opposite side he was occupying. My eyes became heavy and I finally blacked out into dreamland.

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I awoke with a slight pain in my side. I drowsily looked over to my right and saw a very awake Shock poking me roughly in my ribcage. "C'mon and wake up. We're leaving."

"Where are we going?" I unknowingly slurred. I just woke up so my sense of mind was completely drugged up.

"Snowpoint city!" Shock replied in an irritated voice. "Blair informed us today this morning!"

"Is it the afternoon?" I sheepishly rubbed my eyes with my blood-red paw.

Shock seemed to have calmed down a little. "Actually it's evening and we are leaving as of now."

I stretched my back legs and front legs. For some reason I become immediately alert after doing that. The Raichu tapped his foot impatiently. I didn't have to look at him because I could hear his tapping from the fair distance that was twelve inches apart. I abruptly jumped down from the couch and walk on forward, Shock doing the same. We walked side by side.

"What now, huh?" I stared at him as he turned towards me and gave me a rare grin that hardly ever emits from his face.

"Well, Blair has been waiting for you so after we go outside and meet up with her then we are good to go." He answered me with no rude intentions whatsoever. Someone was in a good mood.

We walked through the glass sliding doors and exited the Pokemon Center. Blair and the rest of the gang looked at us. "There you are Flareon!" Blair called cheerfully. Humans do not understand us so we cannot tell them our real names. However I am not bothered being called by my specie. I smile and run by her side, Shock lagging behind as I ran. After checking if all her Pokemon were present, Blair started our travel.

To my surprise it didn't take long to get to Floroama town. The journey had been a short one and as soon as we passed through Floroama and through a cave, we encountered snow. It was then that Blair stopped the group.

"We are almost there guys, we can make it! Try to think of how warm you'll be in the Pokemon Center once we get there. That ought to spark your determination!" Blair cheered. She turned back forward and we continued to follow her.

The deeper we traveled the heavier the snowfall became. I looked at everyone around me. Shock was shivering, Cringe was slightly shuddering, Inferno blew a tiny ember in his paws to keep warm, and Thorn was close to the point of collapsing. I pitied her since she is weak against this element. Sure enough a short period after, Thorn begged Blair to go back into the Pokeball. Blair understood. She took out the device and pointed it towards Thorn. A red beam of light eclipsed Thorn's form and she disappeared into the ball. Well that leaves four of us.

As we trudged on in the snow the wind suddenly picked up. Blair looked cold and tired but she kept marching on. I'm proud to have such a passionate and strong trainer. I was getting tired also, but my body heat was keeping me from getting frostbite. The only obstacle for me was the snow. It was so thick that you had to use more strength than usual to walk. Inferno and I had no problem with warmth because we were fire typed. (Duh) Each step I took made a crunching sound as my paws pushed against the frozen substance. I actually enjoy the sound. It reminds me of bones crunching and for some reason I enjoy that. My mane and fur is covered in snowflakes which means I will have to groom later.

"Once w-we make it past that m-mountain we should be f-fine!" Blair stuttered as she yelled past her shoulder.

The mountain on our left made me very nervous. It has so much snow on it that it looks like it's ready to have an avalanche. I shouldn't think like that. I could jinx us all. Just as I finished that thought I heard a blood-curdling scream from behind me. We all turned in alarm to see who it was.

"AAIIIIIEE! That hurt!" Shock grabbed his foot and jumped around on one leg. "Stupid rock!"

The echo of his scream filled the air. I instinctively looked up at the mountain. I blinked twice to make sure I wasn't seeing things. A blurry figure of what looks like a Pokemon stood on a cliff beside the mountain. I tilted my head. What is that thing? The silhouette moved a little. It seemed to have noticed me staring at it. It seemed like it was yelling something but I couldn't make out what it said. It jerked what looked like its head toward the mountaintop. I followed its direction and froze not from the temperature, but from the rising terror that began to engulf my body. A yelp escaped my throat. Blair, who was tending to Shock's foot, looked over her shoulder to see what was wrong.

"What is it Flareon?" Blair saw my eyes being locked onto the mountain and she looked at me with confusion. "Is there something on the mountain?" Blair got up on her feet and looked at the mountain. Her face wracked with fear. Everyone else took notice after she did. An avalanche was heading straight for us.

"Everyone RUUUUUUN!" Blair shouted as we all zipped through the snow to get to the other side. I was falling behind. Somehow I was falling behind! No! My eyes stung from the snow rushing into them as I tried to catch up. Slowly I was being left behind. Blair was nearly out of sight, as were my friends. I yelled after them but they couldn't hear me between the avalanche and their yelps of fear. The huge plow of snow was nearing ever so closer and I knew right there and then that I wasn't going to make it. I was going to die in a grave of snow. I will suffocate or I will die upon impact. I was going to perish all alone without notice. Instead of my eyes stinging from the snowflakes, they now stung from my tears. I will be forgotten. No one will remember me as my existence demolishes under the wintry coat of snow and ice. The avalanche was now seconds away from me, Blair and the others were out of sight, and my panic was so high that I could have a stroke. I halted in my sprint and braced myself for the impact. I held my breath as the wall of snow neared me in its violent rush of destruction. I shut my eyes tightly as I felt something hit me hard. I blacked out as it hit me. I must be dead.


	2. I hate to be a Burden

**This chapter came up quick because I am really inspired to write this story as I said before. I feel that the last chapter should have been longer but maybe that's just me being too picky. Anyway, enjoy this chapter as much as you can and thanks for reading!**

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I dozily awoke but I did not open my eyes. I expected a sheet of icy snow above me. My limited oxygen being burned away with every breath I took. I dare not open my eyes. I do not wish to be panicked by seeing my only surroundings as snow. However I did not feel coldness. I actually feel warm. I hear the crackling of fire a few feet away from me. What is going on? Am I dead? If so then why do I feel so normal? I slowly flutter my eyes open. What? A room? I inspect the area by flickering my eyes around the place. It looks cozy and small but it doesn't look like a human would live here at all. I was lying on a fuzzy gray cloth. The fire in front of me was fairly sized and looked well made. Upon further inspection, the room had a storage of berries in a corner and there was a tiny table made for one unless you enjoy being incredibly close to the second person. I tried to stand up but my knees felt numb as they buckled and I flopped back down on the bedding. I am in an unknown room and I am temporarily handicapped. Perfect. Just what I need after being abandoned by my friends and trainer. I lay my head down on my front paws, taking a deep sigh of defeat.

"I see you're finally awake." A young mature voice called. It sounded male. I couldn't explain it but it had a sort of dark tone or accent that I couldn't grasp.

I quickly raise my head and look towards the door, which is on the left side of the room and was clearly a huge blanket of teal cloth. There stood a Pokemon with a fluffy white coat with red claws, tail, and face. I saw that he had a horn on one side of his head that was shaped like a scythe What really stood out were his cold and icy blue eyes that looked dim but yet shiny. There was an indescribable detail about his eyes. They hypnotized me just like Blair's did. The ivory Pokemon coolly walked towards me and sat from the opposite direction I was sitting from across the fire. His expression was blurred as the fire danced between us. I found my voice and began to speak.

"Who and what are you?" was the first thing I wanted to know. Never before have I seen this kind of Pokemon in my entire life. It intrigued me.

The creature stood up and smirked slightly. It reminded me of Inferno and how he rarely showed any emotion. "I am an Absol. Well actually, I'm a _shiny_ Absol. My name is Burden. Originally I had no name at all but the humans from the nearby town have named me that since a long while ago." He gave off a tiny sigh and averted his gaze away from me as if he was thinking back on his past. "That's all I will ever be according to them…"

I feel bad for Burden. I can't imagine what he has been through. Taking a closer look at him I saw that his eye opposite of his horn had a vertical scar. I dare not to ask what happened. I don't want him to feel worse.

"What's going on and why am I here?" I asked nicely. I don't want to trouble him of being rude.

Burden snapped out of his trance and stared at me. "Oh sorry." He paused. "Remember that avalanche?"

"Yeah." I barely replied.

"I ran all the way down that cliff to save you. There was barely any time to pull you out of the way so I had to use Quick Attack to push you out of the way. I was lucky enough not to be caught by the avalanche in doing so." The Absol explained. He stood up and walked around the fire in order to sit next to me. I don't mind too much. I feel that I can trust him. But a small part of me says not to get my hopes up.

"Th-thanks." I was a bit nervous of how close he was. He didn't seem fazed at all. I need something to distract me. Anything. I licked my paw and cleaned my face. My habits save the day. I cleaned my mane and then my forepaws while sitting. Grooming is the best distraction for a Pokemon. I glance over at Burden from the corner of my eye as I groom my tail with my paw. He was staring at me with a blank expression. Was he daydreaming? I tried to ignore him and I continued pampering myself. Was he doing that on purpose? I glanced over again and his blank expression turned into an amused look. It took a moment to realize that I was blushing thru my scarlet fur. I stopped grooming myself and turned towards him.

"What?" I asked irregularly. I really hope he was daydreaming.

"Nothing. Just looking at you since I never saw your kind before. When you live in the cold mountains, you don't usually see fire, grass or flying types regularly on a daily basis." Burden said in a monotone voice. Was that the real reason why? I'm sure he isn't lying.

"Oh. Pardon…" I shied my attention toward my paws. I hope I wasn't acting rude. Some people take things the wrong way depending on their lifestyle.

"No problem." He assured. "So why did your face turn a brighter red when I looked at you?"

I flinched and looked at him. "What do you mean?" I laughed a little as I retorted.

"Your face turned a brighter red. Is that what happens to most fire types?" Burden asked nonchalantly.

"You mean you don't know what blushing is?" Is he serious? He must have been in solitude all his life to not understand blushing.

"What is blushing?" Burden asked with a slight rasp in his voice. He tilted his head to the side.

"Well… When you get embarrassed or something then your cheeks get warm and rosy…" I explained. I tried not to sound too nervous. But I usually fail at that.

"Hmm…" Burden thought to himself. I looked at the fire to distract me this time. Why is it unnerving to be all alone with this Absol? I never felt so cautious around someone before. I never got a taste of the wild since I was hatched and raised by Blair my entire life but I shouldn't be so new to this feeling. My instincts tell me that I know this feeling but I truly do not.

"Hey…" Burden called.

I detached my attention from the fire and towards the oddly colored Absol. "Yeah?"

"I never asked you what your name is. Mind telling me?" the cloudy look in Burden's eyes lifted and was replaced by glimmering sapphires. I stared deep into them. I saw hurt and sadness. But now I see a little hope and healing. I grinned at this. He's warming up to me it seems.

"Not at all. My name is Blaze." I said in a singsong tone. I feel more comfortable with him now.

"Really?" Burden looked bewildered. "I thought your name would be Rose." His expression changed to a smile as he spoke the last sentence. "You certainly remind me of one."

I quickly looked back at the fire. Darn it! I started blushing again! Burden took notice of this. "That is one fine example of why."

I chuckled a little at his comment. I suppose so.

"But Blaze is a fine name too. It sounds strong and cool." Burden looked at the fire as I did. "So are you fascinated by the fire or are you just easily distracted?"

He caught me off guard and I jerked my head away from the flames once again. "Uh… A little of both." I giggled sheepishly. How do I look unnerved and innocent at the same time? Grr… I swear I am so easy to read.

Burden laughed a little too. Out of nowhere he got up and walked over to the exit. He used his forepaw to slightly open the clothed door. He peered outside. He seems to be in a trance. I tilted my head. What's he doing? I suddenly hear a low growl. He's growling?

"What's wrong?" I call over to him. He seems fixated on the outdoors.

"Another avalanche but I don't sense anyone in danger." Burden turned away from the door. "It's alright."

He trotted around the fire and sat next to me once again. I gave him a dumbfounded look. What is he talking about? "So how do you know when an avalanche is happening?"

Burden closed his eyes for a moment, as if he were thinking, then he reopened them and stared into my dark ebony eyes. I awaited his reply urgently.

"You see…" He began. "My species is known as the Disaster Pokemon. We have a special power that warns us when a disaster will strike. So for generations we have tried to help the humans and become their guardians from danger and harm. However whenever we come by to warn them and the disaster strikes, we are always blamed. They thought of us as unlucky creatures and have shunned us 'till this day. We are not death bringers. We are messengers and protectors. Yet the humans refuse to accept our help and we are mere outcasts to them. They attack us sometimes too. As you can see by the scar on my eye…" Burden pointed a claw to his marked eye in a melancholy manner, and then put it back down.

"I'm so sorry to hear about that, Burden." I cooed. He frowned a little and looked down at his claws. My sadness and symphony for him raised and I felt that he needed some comfort. I slowly faced my body towards Burden. I gently rubbed my head against him. His body seemed to have twitched from the sudden touch. As I backed away from him a look of slight shock appeared on his face.

"So you aren't going to dismiss me after learning what I am?" He asked in a tone of worry. I shook my head.

"Of coarse not. I'm not cold and mean. I feel bad that you had such a hard life. I think you deserve some happiness for a change." I said cheerfully with a smile. Burden looked relieved. Sometime in life, something incredible will happen to make it change for the better. I believe that this was one of those times for Burden.

With a smirk glued on his face, Burden stood up and walked over to the huge pile of berries. "You hungry?" He asked kindly. I nodded. I wanted to walk over to the berries but I don't know if my legs are okay enough. I decided to give it a shot. Carefully, I lifted my body slowly from the lying position. Good, I can stand. Burden looked slightly concerned about my condition but kept silent. That reminded me of Cringe's behavior. I put my front leg out first, then my back leg and so one. Soon I was able to walk stably. I strutted towards Burden and the berries. He presented the berries to me. Out of all of them I picked Aguav Berry. I love bitter berries and I won't get confused since that is the case. Burden chose the Jacoba Berry. I don't believe he will be in any physical fights soon but maybe that's just his favorite berry. We grabbed our berries in our teeth and we hauled them over to the miniature table. We set the berries down on the tiny surface. As I said before, it was a close range between whoever sat at this table. I am a slightly smaller than the Absol so it wasn't as close as it would have been if I was one. We both sat down and started munching on the berries. There was an awkward silence as we ate. Neither of us said anything until I finished my berry first. I watched him feast for a few seconds but decided to ask questions.

"So what type of Pokemon are you anyway?" Is the first question I have. I'm guessing he's a normal or an ice type.

Burden chewed the last of his berry and swallowed it before answering. "I'm a dark type."

"Really?" I muttered under my breath. "So do you live here all by yourself?"

Burden stood up from the table and walked over to the fire and I followed him soon after. We sat side by side and then he began to talk. "Yes. There was only one time in all my years of living that a Pokemon, other than you, came to live with me for a time."

"Who was it that lived with you?" I pressed on.

"It was a Weavile named Scratch. His clan left him for dead on the mountain. He wandered around until he collapsed. That is around the time when I found him in a thin layer of snow. I took him in my shelter, like I did with you. I lied him down next to the fire and waited for him to wake up. After he did we talked. The conversation lasted about an hour. It was then that he grew angry and spoke of revenge against his people who threw him into the cold wasteland. I told him that that was unnecessary but he ignored me and stormed off outside." Burden's eyes narrowed. "I never saw him again after that."

"Wow." My face struck with awe. He had a lot of negative stuff going on with him. "Well that's alright." I started. Burden looked at me with brief confusion. "All that is over now and you can forget about all that." I smiled, so did Burden. I don't want him to be sad. He needs to be happy.

"So," Burden paused. "What's your story?" He spoke to the fire but I knew the question was directed towards me.

"Well I have a trainer named Blair. She hatched and raised me. I was an Eevee for about a year and a half. Then she used a fire stone on me and made me a Flareon. Of coarse she gave me a choice but she has this undying love for fire types and I wanted to make her so happy and proud. I was one of her favorites. I was entered in contests and attended in tournaments. But now she's gone and I guess I don't have a trainer anymore…" I sighed and stared into the fire. It's not fair. I didn't do anything wrong to deserve this.

"Perhaps it is destiny." Burden whispered smoothly. "Maybe this is all supposed to happen for a reason."

I glanced over at him for a second. "Maybe you're right…" I can't say that I believe in destiny or not but what happens, happens.

The room fell silent. All that was heard was the fire's crackles and our breathing. I decided to break the silence.

"Why do you live up here anyway? Wouldn't it be better to live in warm areas?" That was one question that was worth answering.

"Yes, but you see I need to stay far away from the humans. The farthest place from them is the cold mountains. I would move down to the warmer climates if I wasn't despised so much." He explained with almost no emotion. At least I know the answer now. Suddenly my nose itched. I used my paw to scratch it. My nose felt itchier and then finally I sneezed. The flames danced wildly as the wind shook them. I sniffed loudly. I hope I'm not getting a cold.

"Hehe. I'm used to the cold but apparently you aren't." Burden commented with a slight sneer. He's right, I'm not used to this freezing weather. He turned his attention to the door. "Maybe you shouldn't be up here."

My eyes widened. I don't want to leave him! Err. I mean I don't want to be alone. Why would I think that? I mentally shook it off. That was weird. I put up a calm demeanor. "I'm fine, really. It's either I leave, you move down from the mountain or I deal with it and I like the third choice the most."

"If you say so." Burden said in a breathy voice and shrugged. I can take the cold. All I need to do is raise my body heat a little that's all. No biggy. Burden isn't a fire type, he has his big fluffy fur and he's been living here for all his life so I probably should be more comfortable in this ecosystem than him. "Y'know if you want we can go down into town to look for your trainer tomorrow…" Burden offered darkly. I was filled with glee and yet concern.

"Wouldn't you get run out of town by the humans?" I asked sincerely. He shook his head.

"See that gray cloth over where you were resting?" He asked and I nodded in agreement. "Well that is actually a cloak I wear to sneak into town and get food, as you can see." Burden smirked as he gestured towards the plentiful berries in the corner.

"Are you sure you want to do that?" I asked pleadingly. I don't want him to get hurt because of my needs. He nodded seriously.

"I haven't been out of the cave for a while anyway. We should be fine, Blaze." Burden noted with assurance. I smiled and briefly bowed my head.

"Thank you Burden." I gleamed with happiness.

"Don't mention it." Burden waved his paw in the air and hid what looked like a grin. He doesn't like to show emotion like Inferno I see. I'm used to it so it doesn't bother me the least.

"We might as well go to sleep now. It's getting late and we'll be leaving early in the morning." Burden yawned serenely and lied down by the fire. I watched him as he closed his eyes. A second after closing his eyes however, he opened them to slits and looked at me from his sleeping position. "You can sleep on the cloak if you want. 'Night." Burden uttered darkly and closed his eyes again. I tilted my head a little and watched him for a few seconds. He seemed more content when he's asleep than he is awake. I shrugged it off and went over towards the gray cloak, which were a couple feet away from Burden. I sluggishly lied down onto the clothing and yawned lightly. I lowered my head and slowly closed my eyes. Darkness welcomed me and I was out like a light.


	3. When good times go bad

I've been playing Pokemon Emerald and Diamond lately so I have hardly even considered updating. Sorry if it felt like this chapter took awhile. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this section of the story and have a nice day. PEACE OUT Y'ALL! Sorry, couldn't resist.

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"Pst…Hey…Wake up." Something sharp jabbed me in my shoulder. I stirred weakly and grunted in reply. I'm trying to sleep and I'm one of those Pokemon who actually _enjoy_ it. A few more minutes is all I ask. I heard a long and slightly agitated sigh. Was that the wind? I don't care. I try to focus on sleeping but once again I get poked, however this poke was harder. I groaned lightly and turned away from whatever is stabbing me. I suddenly hear a dark snicker. Is this a nightmare? My left ear felt pressure and then some. Finally it came to the point where I started to feel pain as the pressure was now pinching me. I awoke with a yelp and was slightly startled. That was rather unpleasant. I rubbed my ear and hissed as the pain faintly went away. I yawned and opened my eyes, which were unfocused from the sudden wake up call. I always hated that. My eyes finally adjusted as I saw a white and red blurry blob become a very familiar Pokemon.

"Wake up, Sleeping Beauty." The devilish voice called in a sarcastic tone.

"Wah? Huh?" Was all I could say. I shook my head and traced the voice. Oh yeah. Burden. I forgot about him. "Oh, sorry. I tend to sleep in frequently."

"That's okay." Burden turned away from me and snatched up the gray cloak that I used as my bed. He somehow managed to put it on without hassle but I didn't question it. The cloak's hood covered his face. It showed only his tail, paws and lower face region. People would have to do a double take and look closer to see what kind of Pokemon he was. Somehow I knew that he wouldn't allow that to happen. "You ready?"

"Yeah." I stretched my legs. Once again, I am fully alert by this. Today we go to Snowpoint City to find Blair and my friends. I have been so eager to do this. I suddenly remembered something. "Were you the one who was torturing me when I was sleeping?"

Burden seemed hesitant for a moment. But then as I peered closer I saw that under that shadowy hood, he was grinning evilly. "Yeah." He replied slyly as he lifted his head to look at me from under the cloak. "Wasn't it wonderful?" He chuckled a little with more sarcasm in his voice. He didn't act this way yesterday but perhaps he's just in a good mood. I gave him a playful angry look.

"Oh, so you think you're funny huh?" I laughed in an aggressive tone. I positioned myself into my battle pose with the look of obvious fake enragement on my face. A giddy growl escaped my throat as I hopped from side to side in front of him. Burden looked more alive than he did the day before. He too positioned himself into his battle pose and began swatting at me swiftly. We laughed and growled as we swatted each other without the use of claws and jumped on and off of one another. You could say we were acting like kits. We wrestled and played for what felt like hours. Our roughhousing ended by a weight match between Burden and I to see who could pin whom first. Obviously the match was already decided before we began. My breath escaped my lungs as Burden pinned me to the floor and cockily chuckled in victory. His body completely covered me and there was no way I could escape unless I blew and nice warm Flamethrower in his face. But I am not that cruel. My match is met and he won. Burden's weight was slightly crushing me but not enough for me to cry out in pain. I struggled to get out from under him but he was only getting more amusement out of that.

"I win." Burden had to state the obvious. I childishly rolled my eyes and squeaked right after due to the sudden closeness with his face near mine. I thought I was going to faint. He whispered into my ear with mock in his words. "And you lose." He pulled away and got off of me. I stood to my feet and quickly shook my head. I turned to see Burden sitting patiently with that hidden grin on his face. I'm surprised that his cloak is still in one piece after our rumble. I sheepishly smiled and took a few steps toward him.

"You knew that wasn't fair." I gleamed as I approached him. "That was an unfair game and you know it."

"But I still won." Burden repeated proudly. I shook my head and grinned. How very stubborn he is.

"Fine, you win." I said in a cheerful way with the look of defeat on my face. Burden seemed suspicious of this. I quickly perked up and tackled him to the floor. We rolled a couple times and we stopped with me on top of him. I finally beat him! But it's taking all my strength to pin him down. Burden was shocked for a moment but soon began to struggle out of my grasp. He saw that I too was struggling and that must have gave him a burst of energy since he used his left paw to tilt me off numbly to the side and finally roll onto me. "I was so close!" I cried out as he laughed at me.

"You _still_ don't win." Burden said in the middle of his chuckle. He once again got off of me and sat down in the same position he did before. I sighed and truthfully gave up. He beats me in weight games, but maybe not skill games.

"Well I guess we should get going now, huh?" I suggested. I licked my paw and cleaned my face. I have to. It's a habit.

Burden stood up and walked over to the light blue-lime green door. "Yeah. So you ready?"

I nodded. "Uh huh."

"Good." Was his only reply as he opened the blanketed door for me. I walked through the exit and saw an amazing view. We were on top of that cliff I saw and the mountain was right next to us. I saw snow covered trees surrounding a bunch of houses way out in the distance. I'm guessing that if we walked then it would be a twenty-five minute travel. But if we ran then maybe it would only take fifteen. I heard the delightful sound crunching of snow so I turned my head and saw Burden walking up to the right side of me.

"You know it will be faster if we run." I informed him with little emotion. I am too distracted by doing math to show emotion. I think it would be fifteen miles…

"Yeah but I got a better idea." Burden said nonchalantly. Wait, what? I stared at him to infer that I was confused but Burden ignored me, went in front of me and trudged on to the edge of the cliff-side. What is he doing? He stood like a statue. But then I saw him take a deep breath. Suddenly I heard an ear-piercing howl and it made me flinch as I tried to cover my ears. Is he making that sound? The devious howl ended and I shook my head to recover from the after effect. I was about to ask why he did that but before I could even ask, a weird supernatural blur appeared in front of me. It looked like when you are in a desert and you can see the heat waves. This was exactly like that. The area in front of me kept waving until a figure faded from it. It had it's back turned on me as it appeared. As soon as it was done with its weird mirage moment I saw what came from it. Odd, it looked like an Espeon but it was green… What the heck is with these shinys? There are too many! Blair told me that they are supposed to be rare! I mentally sighed. At least I know some pretty unique Pokemon.

The Espeon sat contently. It was facing Burden so I don't think it knows I'm here. "_Of coarse I do._" A calm and wise voice said in my head. I was so startled that I jumped right after that. Was that the Espeon? Burden laughed and drew his attention back towards the green Pokemon.

"Nice to see you again, green one." Burden laughed.

I heard the same voice from before laugh in my head. "_The feeling is mutual, strawberry._" An external voice and internal voice was laughing at the same time. I am so confused. "_So what is it you want? I do hope it is important._" The Espeon's voice continued in my mind with elegance and superiority. His tone is strong and his voice is calm. It made me feel slightly shaky and I don't know why. I guess both Burden and me can hear his thoughts, because Burden nodded as a reply and began to speak.

"Well I can't say it's a emergency but I hope you wouldn't mind teleporting us to Snowpoint City again." Burden glanced over to me and winked from under his hood. Was that for comfort? I am too shaky to care right now. Must focus on body control…

The green Espeon sighed and shook his head. "_In other words, you want me to tag along once again so you can be teleported back. Correct?_" I noticed his forked tail waving back in forth like a pendulum. I found this soothing. Is he the yoga master of the Pokemon world or what?

Burden shook his head plainly, like he didn't need to beg for the Espeon to come. "Yeah. Think of it as a mini adventure or vacation."

"_Oh, I must find a container to contain my joy._" I sensed the Espeon rolling his eyes. But maybe I am just thinking that way because I know that if I was in that situation then I would too. "_I'll do it. But…_" I froze stiff as the word 'But' hissed in my mind. The weird looking Espeon turned his head to his right of his side, not making eye contact with me. I wanted to grow tiny. I wanted to disappear. But why am I thinking this? "_Who is this fine creature looming behind me?_"

A pursed smirk appeared on Burden's mouth. "This is Blaze. She is looking for her trainer and wants to check Snowpoint." Burden pointed a paw at me as he spoke. The Espeon turned his entire body towards me. My body relaxed as he slowly bowed his head.

"_Salutations Madame. My name is Ying. It is a pleasure to meet your acquaintance." _He cooed. Ying rose up right after finishing his sentence. What a gentleman… "_Why thank you._" I flinched once more. My mind is being read, isn't it? "_Yes._" Lovely…

"Um… Nice to meet you too." I greeted sweetly. I didn't know what to do. I felt like a toy being played around with. This slightly agitated me but I find his very being comforting, so I'm not being hostile. "So you read minds huh?"

"_Indeed. Sorry if you find it rude, but it is something that I cannot help. I always had this problem since I evolved. It seemed to have a side effect. So do pardon my mental intrusions._" Ying apologized in my head.

I waved my paw hastily. "No, no, not at all." I retorted. I paused for a moment. "I do have a question though."

"_What may that be?_" Ying tilted his head to the side and had no emotion on his face. I shot a quick glance towards Burden. He was busy looking out into the wintry area.

"Why is it that you speak with your mind and not your mouth?" I didn't want to offend him but that question was really gnawing on me.

"_I was born mute. No one could understand me half the time as a kit because of it. For three years of my life I was tortured of not having any communication. But when I finally evolved, I could speak using telekinesis. But like I said before, I cannot control the side effect of always reading peoples minds." _He answered me more regularly than I would have thought he would. He seems so content.

"I see…" My thoughts lingered. I wonder if he was always like this. My eyes shot up quickly towards Ying to see if he would telekinetically surprise me again but his attention was drawn back on Burden, who drew his attention away from the land. I listened in.

"_So are we ready?_" Ying asked with more echo in his voice than before.

"Yep." Burden piped. Where did the enthusiasm come from?

"_Blaze. You may want to come closer if you want to join us in the teleportation to the city._" Ying chirped. Finally, he showed an emotional trait. I trotted up next to Burden who looked rather joyful. Giddy for the trip are we? We silently stood for a second. But after blinking a couple times I realized that the world around me looked like it was in a huge desert heat. The settings around us blurred into another and I felt a bit nauseous. I shut my eyes to keep myself from seeing the illusion. I wish my stomach would settle. I opened one eye and saw that we were in a snow-covered city. This must be Snowpoint all right. Ying looked at me for a moment but then redirected his attention towards Burden.

"Alright so here we are." Burden exclaimed. "You know the outside world more than I do Blaze so where do we check first?" He nudged me with his claw. I recovered from the sickness and turned to answer him.

"The Pokemon Center is Blair's main hotspot to stay for the night in every city. Sometimes we camp out in the wilderness but definitely not in this weather." I said. I wonder if she's even worried about me. What about Thorn, Shock, Cringe and Inferno? Do they care?

"_Pokemon Center it is then. Is that the building over there with the red roof?_" Ying pointed his paw at the huge Center.

"Yeah, let's go peek through the window. I don't know if Snowpoint City's Nurse Joy allows 'wild Pokemon' in her building." I noted and took off to the side of the building. Burden and Ying followed in pursuit. I saw a small box next to a dumpster below the large window of the Pokemon Center. I ran and jumped onto the small wooden box and then the large tin garbage can. The shiny Espeon and Absol finally caught up and waited quietly behind me. I peered discreetly into the window. I saw a very petite and solemn looking boy petting his injured Glameow. He was crying over the bloody bandage on its back. I kind of felt bad but I have a mission to find my trainer.

"...Okay guys." I jerked my head towards the familiar voice. It was Blair! But she didn't look sad at all. Doesn't she know I'm gone? She picked up a Pokemon that I never saw before in our group. It was… an Eevee? "Look at our new friend!" She faced it towards my friends and they all grew excited. They conversed with each other, though I couldn't make out what they were saying. The Eevee squeaked and grinned. Blair pat it on the head, Inferno gave it a heartwarming smile, Shock was shaking its paw, and Thorn was talking to Cringe about it. I knew because of their body language and their glances toward the Eevee during their conversation. My heart sank. They replaced me. I was nothing more than a tool to her? I was part of the collection and now that I'm gone she went and got another pawn to use. My friends… No… Those Pokemon in the window don't seem to mind my absence either. I am so angry, sad and hurt. They wouldn't care though. I'm just a puppet. No. I WAS a puppet. Not anymore! I don't need them. I don't!

"Are you alright Blaze?" Burden called serenely behind me. "You are shaking." Yeah, with blind rage most likely. My teeth clenched together.

"_I sense that you are troubled._" Ying whispered in my head. I abruptly jumped off of the dumpster and sprinted off into the city leaving the two Pokemon behind. I can't take this much rage. I have to blow it all off somehow. I ran faster. The world blazing past me, people yelling and complaining, then there was me. I heard shouting behind me. I don't care. I have to get away faster and don't look back! I ran through the city's border and I took cover behind a tree near the entrance.

I huffed and coughed. My breath was a white fog as it escaped my lungs. My anger returned so I growled irritatingly and used Fire Blast on the tree next to me. The branches of the pine turned from green to brown as it burned. I gasped roughly and tried to cool off. It didn't matter though. I can burn down the town if I wanted to but it wouldn't solve anything. Blair is my enemy and so are her Pokemon. I must accept this. No one can say I got the good life now, or say that I am spoiled by fortune. The one who gave me my happiness is the one who destroyed it and tricked me. She who gave me TMs, Poffins and berries to blind me from the truth. That's fine. I don't need her. I will live wild and free like Burden. I don't need a trainer! I turned to watch the pine tree burn to ashes in the fire. That tree could be Blair…

"Blaaaaaaze!" A dark voice yelled from inside the wintry urban city.

I faced the entrance and saw Burden and Ying run towards me. They looked worried. At least someone does. "_Are you okay? You had a negative energy around you when you ran off._" Ying pointed out as he and Burden gathered in front of me. I narrowed my eyes towards my feet. I felt my eyes water up and I cursed silently under my breath.

"I'm fine. R-really." I mused. I have a feeling that they aren't going to buy that.

Burden walked over to my side and put an icy paw on my back. My skin crawled from the sudden touch. "You are not fine. You ran away and apparently set that tree over there on fire." I looked up and saw the tree crackling as its bark turned black and ashy. There was a strange satisfaction from watching the pine burn. I never thought it was satisfying before. "Can you tell us what's wrong?"

"_I already know what's wrong but I won't be rude. She can tell you._" Ying sighed like he understood what I was already going through. I didn't know how to react to that so I kept silent. "_You don't mind, do you Blaze?_" Ying's blue eyes glowed a lighter color. I felt like I couldn't say yes. Yes was not an option.

"N-no." I said grudgingly. What is happening? I wanted to say yes not no.

"Ying stop using Hypnosis! Let her decide you sneaky Rattata! I saw her eyes glow too!" Burden yelled at him.

"_So I can't be evil once in a while? Ah well. Go on Blaze. I apologize._" Ying's eyes stopped glowing and I felt free again.

The two shinies stared at me intensely. I felt my throat grow dry. I puffed out a small white cloud into the air. I have no one else now so I guess I can tell them. "I saw my trainer…"

"Well that's good. Why would you be upset over that?" Burden pressed. I ignored him and continued.

"However, she was not worried about me or my disappearance. Instead Blair and my former friends were too busy fussing over my replacement. An Eevee." I spat the word 'Eevee'. I loathe it so much but the others so much more.

"I'm sure that isn't the case Blaze." Burden tried to comfort me. But I knew the truth. The green Espeon kept quiet as we spoke.

"It is. I was her tool and nothing else. She pretended to be a caring trainer to trick me into believing in her. Once one of us is gone a new Pokemon comes in and we are forgotten. That's what her main plan is. Or else they would all be grieving over my possible death. I hate them…" I had a silent rage build up inside of me but I managed to control it. I relaxed my muscles but that just made the emotional pain flow easier.

"Blaze…" Burden whispered is disbelief. That's right. I do have a dark side. No one, including me, knew of it until now. Ying seemed less shocked. Probably because he hasn't know me as long as Burden has. "So you aren't going back to her… Right?"

"I'd rather be dead than be in the same room with her." I stated in a serious manner. I walked over to Ying and sat next to him. "Please teleport us back home." I ordered him more than asked. Burden took a few steps towards Ying and me. With that we were surrounded by the weird desert-like waves again and we appeared back on the edge of the cliff.

"_Is there anything else I can do for you?_" Ying asked Burden and paid me no mind.

Burden shook his head. "No, that's all. Thanks."

"_Alright then._" Ying huffed mentally. He turned to me and bowed. "_I do hope you feel better soon, Blaze._" After that, he vanished into the heat wave looking illusion. I can't help but admit that it is so neat to watch that cool wave in the air. It reminded me of Palkia twisting space.

"I'm going to go to sleep and get some of this anger out of my system." I informed Burden as I walked by him and entered the teal door. His cloak isn't there anymore so I won't have bedding this time. I don't mind though. I nestle down in front of the fire and lower my head. Before I drifted off to sleep I heard Burden's footsteps and felt a layer of clothing envelope my entire body. That made me feel slightly better and I instinctively purred.


	4. Blaze's head spins like a boomerYang

**Sorry it took a long time but stuff came up. When I say stuff I mean preparing for Valentine's Day. Woo! Enjoy the chapter.**

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An image of Blair flickered in my mind. She was far and distant from me. Her back was turned and she appeared weary. I have no emotion that I can express. I have no anger, sadness, happiness or even confusion. I just stare at her and watch her every move. Blair perked up as a small Eevee ran towards her from the corner of my eye. Still I have no feelings toward anything. I can't even express my surroundings. It was all a blur from my point of view.

"Hi there little Eevee!" Blair giggled as she picked up the fluffy creature and held it in her arms. "Welcome to the family."

Family? What is family again? I can't remember. The Eevee chirps gleefully as a reply to Blair's statement. Blair continued to laugh and baby talk the Eevee as it squeaked and wiggled. Out of nowhere, Blair's Pokemon faded in and encircled her. They were all mimicking what Blair was doing. Adoring the Eevee.

"Who needs Flareon anyway? We can just make _you_ into a Flareon and replace it!" Blair sneered and the other Pokemon joined in. I felt something in my chest tighten and a wave of unknown force rise to my throat. This could be a emotion but I can't tell. "C'mon guys let's go." Blair drops the Eevee and walks away, dissolving within four steps. The other Pokemon followed the same routine except for the Eevee. The Eevee is just standing in blank space with it's back to me. I had the option to move so I decided to walk towards it.

The tightness in my chest grew, as did the rising feeling in my throat. My back felt a cold chill as I slowly approached the unmoving Eevee. What am I feeling? I am only a few paces away from the brown creature, but it takes no notice. The tightness was overwhelming and the rising was too much to handle. Suddenly as I reached the small kit, I was pulled out of my own body. I watched myself tap the Eevee on the back. It turned around and smiled sweetly. However the expression on my face was not a friendly one. The Eevee grew nervous as I saw myself grin devilishly. Why am I doing that?

The Eevee spoke but no words came out. It felt like it was saying something to make me go away. However the uncontrolled me I was watching just took a step forward as an answer. The fur ball backed away with sheer horror on its face. I want to help but I am kept in place somehow. The Eevee said something again but once more I can't hear what its saying. My form began laughing insanely. My laugh. My voice. I saw my body ready itself for attack with a glint of vicious blood thirst on its face. The Eevee braced itself and shut its eyes as my possessed self began tackling and biting it. I had the look of evil. Pure undying evil. The small creature rolled across the floor as I saw myself ram into it. My form gracefully trots over to the battered Eevee as it tries to regain its balance. It looks up to me with sorrow but I swat it in the face and it rolls once again.

"You are pathetic…" My demonic form said. It had my voice but it was fused with another, darker one. "Get up."

The Eevee trembled in pain and shook its head no with all its strength. My body scowls and smacks it in the face. Why am I doing this? This isn't me at all. I mentally gasp as I see my body's mouth faintly glow as it smiled. No, not that. The Eevee's eyes grew as it saw my form doing what I would never do in a million years. As the Eevee lied bruised and beaten, unable to move from the ground, my possessed self's teeth became engulfed with flames. It was going to kill the Eevee. I am now feeling an emotion. Fear. My demonic self lowered its mouth to the Eevee's throat very slowly. Tears rolled down the Eevee's furry cheeks. I wanted to cry out or move to make me stop but I am completely immobilized. All I can do is watch. The fire engulfing my fangs grew bigger than they would have than when I used it. The surrounding area that was a blur is now black and red waves. I feel deathly scared. My body opened its mouth and clamped down on the Eevee's throat. I heard a gurgled yelp as the Eevee was punctured. I now felt another emotion. Sadness. My form kept its hold onto the little kit's throat. Keeping that position until its life was entirely gone. I don't want to see this. The Eevee finally died as its body grew limp. My dark self let go and licked its blood-covered lips. I shivered. It was then that my form turned to me with a look of vile lust and evil.

"Wanna play?" It asked in a nice but demonic way. A sly grin appeared on its face.

Suddenly it came charging at me with incredible speed as it exposed its fangs to kill me. Finally it reached me and…

"NOOO!" I screamed to the top of my lungs. My heart pounded so hard that I could feel it in my abdomen. I breathed hard. Where is it? Where am I? I turned all around me hastily. A room? Wait… This is where Burden lives. I saw that Burden's cloak was on me but it slipped off me when I woke. It was a nightmare then. A terrible nightmare…

"Blaze? What happened?" Burden came dashing through the teal door with worry on his face.

"Bad dream is all…" I whispered. I am so scared and frightened after that. Was that really me? I dislike the Eevee, but not enough to…

"Oh okay then. Well we have to go to Ying's today so I can repay him for yesterday. It's a sort of deal that we made. That alright with you?" Burden asked as he walked towards me. I noticed that he seemed much more relaxed than he was the other day.

"Yeah." I simply answered. I need to try to forget that dream. It was rather awful though.

"I was hoping on leaving now so you ready?" Burden walked away from me and looked outside the clothed door. Either a disaster is happening or he wants to see what's going on outside.

"Let's go then." I piped. If I fake my joy then maybe I'll feel it later.

"Good. They live inside a den in Eterna Forest. So we need to call Ying to teleport us there." He walked out the door and I followed him lazily. I am pretty awake but not fully. Once we make it onto the edge of the cliff I stretch my front and back legs. I shake my body making my tan-yellow fur bounce. I gradually stop and sit down quietly.

I noticed Burden sitting in the very same spot he did yesterday to call on Ying. I quickly covered my ears just in time as Burden let out a loud howl. I faintly heard the sound through my paws but it wasn't at all painful as before. Seconds passed after the call and I already got out of my anti-deaf position. I watched as Burden began to grow impatient and heard a mumble that was incomprehensible. I'm starting to get rather impatient also. My tail flickered in slight annoyance. Suddenly a mirage appeared behind Burden and in front of me. Both the crimson Absol and I glared at the emerald Espeon that faded in from the heat wave-like illusion.

"_Sorry I'm late. A certain __**someone**__ decided to play a prank on me. Shall we go?_" Ying's red forehead gem glowed as we stepped closer to him in reply. I never noticed his gem before but then again I never pay attention to anything.

The world began to become a desert wave again. Will I ever get used to this? My eyes started playing tricks on me so I shook my head to recover. I blinked a couple times. As my eyes adjusted to my surroundings I grew amazed but also confused. Ying's den was clearly underground but it has so many human things inside that you would think that an actual trainer lives here. I saw a white tapeline that separated the room in half. One side of the room had a pine bookshelf with books and a few snow globes. A neat looking nest that is made of foliage and a pale yellow cloth lies in the corner of the one side with the bookshelf. It looks as though a neat freak got their hands on this space of the room. Then I glanced over at the other side. Trash lies almost everywhere so it's hard to tell what is what. I saw that there was another bedding but it seemed to be made out of hay and dirt and with a chocolate colored blanket to serve as bedding instead of a pale yellow one. I saw a small but wide table holding all sorts of items and knick- knacks. Some I recognized and some I never saw in my entire life.

Burden stepped towards the 'clean' side of the room. "So you two are still territorial?"

I watched as Ying scoffed at Burden's remark. "_Until that ignorant fool cleans up after himself and his act then yes._" He waltzed over to the bookshelf and took out a weird looking book with a familiar spine.

"So what do you want us to do?" Burden sighed as we watched Ying open the flexible book up.

"Is that a planner?" I meant to keep that question to myself but when you have a mind reader around then there really is no point now is there?

"_Quite._" Ying answered as he stopped on a page FULL of green colored human words that I can hardly read or understand.

"You can write?" I asked in slight shock. I never knew a Pokemon could read or write human language.

"_Not with my paws,_" Ying psychically picked up the Smeargle pen that was inside the planner's spine. "_But with my mind._" He mentally put the pen back in the spine and started pinpointing something on the page. Burden and I waited patiently as he silently scrolled down the colored page. I wonder if we will do a favor, chore or mission. I am kind of bored. I'll do anything to distract my thoughts away from that disturbing nightmare…

"Will you hurry up?" Burden groaned as he lied down and rested his head in his paws with boredom. His eyes drooped as if he was tired. Was he up all night?

"_Aha! I know what you two can do. I need you guys to stalk Yang and see what he's been up to. I have taken great notice that he's been gone far longer than usual and would like to know what in the world he's doing. I'd do it myself but I'm terrible at spying and he is my brother after all._" Ying's mouth curved upwards to a smirk.

"Is that your excuse?" Burden questioned darkly. I could tell he was being a smart alec. He rose to his feet and yawned a little bit. "Fine we'll do it. It can't be as hard as last time." Last time?

"_You'll find Yang either outside of the den in Eterna Forest or in Eterna City._" Ying informed and closed the book. Burden and I both nodded as Ying put his planner back using his psychic powers. He directed his attention back towards us. "_Good luck_" Ying said in our heads sarcastically.

We turned towards the exit and made our way through the branch door. Apparently Ying's door is made of real tree branches that just so happen to cover the entrance. How very clever. My measly attention span snapped towards the surrounding forest area. It is true that I have gone through this forest before but its beauty will never cease to amaze me. The way the light of the sun peeks through the trees leaves, the wonderful smells of nature and plenty of weak wild Pokemon to beat up. This would be one of my most favorite of spots if I were on a vacation. However this is not a vacation. This is a request that we need to do. Track down some guy called Yang and stalk him to find out what he's doing. Stealth… Not to sure if I'm good at that. I'll see soon enough.

"So what kind of Pokemon is he?" I ask the shiny Absol as we stroll down the pathways of the forest.

"Umbreon. I'm pretty okay with the guy but not exactly best buds either." Burden simply put with ever-staring eyes straightforward and on lookout.

"Oh…" I murmur. I focus on my surroundings like Burden is. I fought an Umbreon before. Ringz was his name. I know what Umbreons look like from experience. Jeez, was that a rough fight…

I whimper breathlessly as Burden forcefully pushes me toward the bushes. I was confused and slightly dazed. Why did he do that? "Shhh." Burden turned away from me as he looked through the brush. I joined in too and understood why he did what he did.

"It's him…" Burden barely whispered. An Umbreon with faint midnight blue rings on his body and yellow glowing eyes trudged past us. A shiny Umbreon? I thought I said enough with the shinys! I noticed something in the dark creatures mouth. Perhaps a necklace? I leaned closer to take a closer look.

"Eep!" My paw burned and stung at the same time. I quickly react and take the thorn from my paw. Burden's eyes grew and he ducked. Soon I realized what he was doing and joined in.

"Who's there?" A muffled sounding voice said. It was Yang and he probably couldn't speak well because of the pendant in his mouth. I heard a spat. "I'll mess you up! Come out!" I heard him better now. His voice had an accent to it. A tough one that you would hear in a city. I looked at Burden and he looked at me. It is clear that we have been caught. I gestured for him to stay put. He began to silently protest but I jumped out of the bush before anything could be done. I did my best to look casual.

"An' who the heck are you?" The shiny Umbreon demanded. I showed no fear or suspicion but internally I wanted to have a small nervous breakdown. I gave him an apologetic face. My question is, will it work?

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to disturb you." I said peacefully. The black and blue Umbreon just looked confused with agitation.

"Hmm… Who's in 'ere behind you?" Yang asked cautiously.

Didn't expect that one. I have no alibi at all because I forgot to think of one. Must think, must think, GOTTA THINK! "My mate and kit." I smiled, not showing him my internal conflict. W-wait, WHAT?!

"Can I see 'em?" Yang pressed on. This kind of stuff must happen all the time for him to act this way. But still, what did I say? What? What!? ZUH?!

"No problem…" I paused. How will Burden react to this? Oh dear Arceus… "Burden, please come out with our _kit_." I know that Yang won't understand my hint but will Burden? Sweet Girantina this is going to be so awkward.

Burden walked out from the bush slowly at first but then at a normal pace. He sat next to me and surprised me with a lick on the face. My mind just got blown away. "Sorry but our kit is too shy to show its face to strangers so it ran off to play." Burden said coolly. Am I breathing? Phew, what? Huh?

"Burden?!" Yang jumped almost seven feet in the air. "You 'ave a _mate_? Who woulda guessed. Wow man, you got lucky eh? Hehehe."

We both were as still as statues. Perhaps it was the pure shock of the moment or the discomfort of the conversation but somehow I knew we were both mentally going crazy.

"I thought you were 'ere to stalk me 'cause of my brudda, Hahaha!" Yang continued. "Well I'll be seeing you two Luvdiscs then. Later suckas." With that, the shiny creature of the dark picked up the strange necklace and scurried away towards the city. We both watched him until he disappeared.

I looked at Burden who gave me a puzzling look. He just stared at me. The look was either of confusion or disbelief. I froze up as our eyes connected. What kind of excuse can I have for saying something like that? My body temperature began to rise from embarrassment so I puffed out my collar fur to release the heat. But instead of keeping silent afterwards I began to speak. I apologized sincerely more than awkwardly. "Look… I didn't know… I didn't know what to do. I'm so sorry. I-"

I was cut off by Burden's paw patting my head. I stopped moving, speaking and breathing. Burden spoke so gently that even I can just barely hear him. "Its alright. But you did kind of save my hide. Yang said that if he found me spying on him again then I would be taking a trip to the underworld. So… thanks." Burden removed his paw from my head and walked by me. I blankly stared at him as he passed. I can't really think of anything right now. "You coming?" Burden shouted for me. He was almost out of my sight.

"Er… Sorry!" I yelled over and began to run towards him. I stopped by his side then we began walking towards Eterna City. As we passed the trees and the plants I couldn't help but ponder. Does this mean that he forgives me? Perhaps he just wants to put on this routine so Yang doesn't annihilate him. Either way he's cool about it and I'm glad I didn't have a panic attack back there. A sign at the entrance of a street interrupted my daydreams. Houses decorated the sides of the road. As Burden and me inspected closer we saw letters. I can only make out a few but luckily those few were the most important. It read 'Eterna City' on the top of the sign and some tinier ones below it. They shouldn't be too important. I glanced over at the sapphire-eyed Absol and we nodded. We are doing this job and we are doing it right.

"Remember to actually stay low this time." Burden joked as we passed the wooden sign and through the town entrance.

I snickered and looked at him from the corner of my eye. "Let's shove a knife in your paw and see if you can stay quiet." Burden chuckled lightly at my comment. I saw a human tending to some flowers outside her house. This jolted my memory. Burden has no disguise! "Burden! You're exposed!" I hoarsely whispered.

Burden took a step into the shadows of an alley. "Exactly why I'll be taking cover in the dark while spying and you will be walking around town in secrecy." Burden and I both stopped walking. "Does that make sense?"

"Yeah." I agreed. "And we meet back up at the sign in an hour, got it?" I'm not used to being all by myself so I don't want to be separated for too long. I'll get used to it eventually.

"Sure." Burden replied as he turned his back on me and started down the alley. "Catch ya later."

"Okay…" I said under my breath even though Burden was gone. I sit down on the side of the street and sigh. Why do I feel that this is going to be a wild Zangoose chase? I turn to my head to see the same woman caring for her plants. I decided to be a little mischievous so I get up from my position and strut towards the young human. She takes notice of me and smiles sweetly.

"What a darling Flareon!" The female florist cooed as she petted my head. "What are you doing here huh?" Funny she should ask.

I faintly purr and she giggles. That's right lady, buy my act. Before the woman could even say 'Oh no', I jerked my head away from her one hand and plucked a purple tulip from her other. I scurried off behind a building. I did hear the florist call after me. She called for me to come back. Her tone sounded friendly but I decided to go against it. I put the tulip down and smiled to myself. I didn't want the flower but I needed practice for my stealth. Stealing a flower isn't a crime so I thought this would be perfect. I set the flower on the doorstep of the building I hid behind. I don't want a pretty plant such as this one to be wasted for nothing. I walk out onto the street and notice a black shadow sweep into an alley. I instinctively follow and take pursuit. I peek my head in the opening of the dark space. I saw Yang and another Pokemon conversing. It looked as though they were making a deal. I identified the other Pokemon as a rugged Mightyena with a brown bag hanging from its neck. I listened in closely.

"You got it, right?" The tough toned Mightyena growled. He was obviously very impatient over something.

"Ya. Don't get snippy wit me." Yang seethed through clenched teeth. He was still holding the pendant I saw earlier. I heard a low growl. Someone's losing their temper. "Take the stupid medallion. Just gimme my plate, Punky."

"I told you not to call me that!" The Mightyena snarled. Yang just laughed mockingly. "My name is now Grunt, got that?" Yang nodded dismissively. Grunt shook his head. "Here's your damn plate." Grunt reached into his bag and somehow managed to get a grip of a black tile. He threw it at the shiny Umbreon. Yang threw the necklace at the same time as Grunt threw the tile.

"Thanks." Yang sneered and began to walk my way as the Mightyena disappeared into the blackness of the dark alleyway. I acted quickly and hid below a nearby porch of a house. Yang walked into broad daylight and glanced around. Like lightning he ran away towards the forest with that weird thing between his canines. I squeezed back out of the gap and shook my body to get the dirt out of my fur. Darn it, I need to groom later. I licked my paw and cleaned my face. At least a little hygiene would be nice. A couple minutes of face cleaning passed, and then I decided to go to the sign of the town to meet up with Burden. I ran instead of walked. As I approached the exit, or should I say entrance, of town I saw Burden lying down beside the post and taking a nap.

I trotted next to him and nudged his shoulder a little. "Hey, get up." No answer. I nudged him a little harder. "C'mon." The only response was a grumble. I sighed and then hatched a devilishly good idea. I blew a Flamethrower in front of his face. Just enough to make him feel it.

"Waah!" Burden jumped back and panted. I stopped my attack and gleamed. He grinned. "What was that for?"

"Not waking up." I laughed. I decided to get on topic. "I found Yang. Apparently he's making deals with a Mightyena named Grunt. Funny thing is his name used to be Punky."

Burden smiled at this as he regained his composure. "I see. Let's go tell Ying then." I nodded in agreement.

* * *

"_So that's what he's been doing? If mother was alive today she would gut him like a fish._" Ying scowled. He sighed as he went over to his nest and sat down with his tail curled around him. "_Well thank you two for helping. I will have to talk to Yang about this later…_" He said the last part mostly to himself.

"Can you give us a _free_ ride home now?" Burden asked tiredly yet sarcastically.

Ying smiled faintly and walked towards us. "_As always in our little compromise._" I sat silently as the green Espeon came between Burden and me. The gem on his head shined brightly and the desert waves surrounded us as our setting morphed from one to another. We were back on the cliff edge and I actually didn't get sick. Hurray. "_Until next time._" Ying said to us with his thoughts as he faded out in fake heat waves.

"Are we done today?" I asked Burden. I was actually tired from today. Which is weird because my stamina is always great.

"Yeah. Let's go to bed. Besides, It's getting dark." The shiny Absol trudged over to the teal door and opened it for me. I muttered a thanks as I walked passed him and through the door. Of coarse Burden followed me from behind. I made my internal thermal energy rise to get warm and comfortable, then I drowsily lied down beside the fire. I yawned soundlessly and lowered my head to my paws. My eyes slowly closed. Before I went to dream land I felt a warm, furry mass lay next to me. I couldn't help but faintly smirk from the comforting embrace.


	5. Mysteries arise

**All right, here is the fifth part of the story! I must say thanks to all the people who have been reading my stuff. You know who you are.**

* * *

I awake with a jolt. Something poked me in my head. I'm way too tired to get up but my body is denying that. I tiredly stand up and stretch. I'm somewhat awake but not perfectly. Lazily I yawn and turn to my left to investigate what stabbed me. Burden? His horn must have jabbed me when he turned over. What is he doing sleeping beside me anyway? Eh whatever. I'm too sleepy to care. Hm, I'm kinda hungry.

I trot over to the berries, take a red bumpy berry out of the wooden box with my teeth and bring it to the tiny table. I wipe my eyes with my paw. Bleh, I wonder what time it is. I lower my head and take a huge bite out of the berry. I chew it a few times but then I notice something. It's kinda spicy… Wow really spicy. H-hot! HOT! My taste buds are dying from the amount of spiciness! My mouth got so hot that I blew Flamethrowers in an attempt to cool down. I yelled as my throat burned and I continued to blow out fire. Why is it so hot?!

"Oooow! Ah, ah, help!" I ran around for a few seconds then decided to go outside and eat icy snow from the ground. It helped a little but not as much. I know I'm a fire type and all but this is ridiculous! I continue to feast on snow until Burden walks outside with a look of pure sleepiness on his face. I ignored his presence and continued to eat snow. I feel slightly better but still not good enough.

"What are you doing? You almost caught the den on fire." Burden groaned tiredly as he trudged up to me. He stopped and watched me eat snow. "Is there a reason why you're eating snow?"

I feel that I am fine enough to speak so I raise my head and gasp. "Really s-spicy berry." I release heat from my fur, trying my best to cool down. I shake a little bit soon after though, either from the trauma or the cold. Brr…

"What berry did you eat?" The dead tired Absol asked. I saw his eyes flutter closed and back open. His balance wasn't too great either.

I shakily walk back into the cave with Burden following behind me. I pointed my paw towards the evil berry that caused me pain. Hellfire pain. "Here i-it is." I glared at the berry as if it was the root of all evil.

"That would be a Spelon Berry. The spiciest berry in Sinnoh." Burden told me. He seemed to have woken up a bit more. "I'm surprised you didn't pass out or something. You would probably need medical attention right now if it wasn't for your type."

I shivered. Maybe it wasn't so wise to release a large amount of my heat after all. I mean I am on a wintry cliff deep in a snowy wasteland. I sigh and look at my front paws. This is going to be a fun filled day. Right…

* * *

Burden and I rudely enter the branch-covered den. Today Burden and I wanted to see Ying again. We traveled all the way from the mountain to Eterna Forest but this trip is worth it. For one we were bored and also we wanted to see Yang get yelled at. Ying and Yang have no idea that we are coming so they are in for a surprise. I enter first into the tapeline-separated room. I see that Yang is already getting his head bitten off. Burden comes in behind me as we both sit together and watch the show in semi-secrecy. Ying is on his side of the room yelling while Yang is on his side of the room not caring.

"_You traded Mother's medallion necklace for a Dark Plate?! If I could, I would rip you to shreds right now! How dare you dishonor her that way!_" Ying's calm composure somehow melted for the green Espeon I am seeing is blowing his top off. Yang scratched behind his ear with his back leg as he sat in the brown bed. He really didn't seem to mind being punished verbally at all.

"Yeah whateva. We never used it anyways. Besides, you can't do anythin' to hurt me because of our last promise to Pop's. 'Member?" Yang sneered as he finished scratching his ear. What kind of promise did they make to their Dad? Speaking of which… I never knew my parents. It's a shame. I really wish I knew.

"_You ignorant oaf! Argh!_" The shiny Espeon paced back and forth. He looked ready to explode. It was then that he noticed Burden and I standing at the entrance of his home. "_What do you want? Can't I take a break from you two for at least a day?_" He fumed. I recoiled spiritually from this. I didn't want to make him angrier than he is now.

Burden stepped in front of me. "We just wanted to see how you two were doing. That's all." You'd have to be an idiot to not understand what he meant. Apparently Ying was so upset he didn't decipher the meaning of his statement. What he was ACTUALLY saying was that we came in for the verbal killing of Yang.

I kept silent. There really is nothing to do about this. It was then that Yang decided to open his trap. "So Burden, you two gettin' it on er what?" A smirk decorated the slang talking Umbreon's lips.

The dark but content Pokemon standing in front of me gave Yang the wickedest of glares. This actually caused the darker version of Eevee to shut up. I unknowingly backed up a little. The tension in the room is building and I don't like it.

"_Burden, don't interfere. I am taking care of this myself._" Ying's voice echoed in our heads. Burden narrowed his eyes but nonetheless backed down and stood back.

"You're makin' a big deal outta this. Shaddup and move on already." Yang sighed and stood up from his bed. Ying looked ready to kill him but instead lowered his head and mumbled to himself. Is he counting? Burden and I lock eyes then exchanged the look of confusion. We honed our attention on Ying once more and see him raise his head back up. No way. Ying is completely and utterly tranquil.

"_Fine. I will do so brother. However, you broke one of our rules._" The emerald Pokemon said calmly. This alerted the Umbreon.

""H-how?" Yang asked in a slight panic. Is this Umbreon really acting shocked?

"_Mother's medallion belonged to me and since you got rid of it, I can take something of yours._" Ying smiled as Yang's face grew mortified.

"You wouldn't…" The dark shiny paused.

I am kind of confused by all this. What's the big deal and what is going on? I'm sure Burden thinks the same. Or maybe not…

Ying walked over to Yang's side of the room and stood next to the item covered table. Without a word he grabbed a machine with a sliding slot with his teeth. It was portable enough for him to carry. Yang stood on his nest with his jaw dropped. What's the big shock? I do admit that the device looks rather expensive yet terribly familiar.

"_Your TM, HM machine is now mine. So no more abilities for you._" Ying gleamed as he put the machine in an empty spot of his bookshelf. So that's what it was. Blair used it on the me and the others when we wanted new moves…

"Grr… Go on an' take it! See how I care!" Yang stood up, whooshed between Burden and me and then went through the den door. This is one weird family. I can guess that the machine was probably one of his most prized possessions. I turn to Ying and see a look of satisfaction on his furry green face. So they torment each other I see.

"_Sorry you had to see that but it was about time someone disciplined him._" Ying said in our minds. What ever happened to their parents?

"Hey Ying-" I was interrupted by his thoughts.

"_Our parents are dead as you would have guessed._" Oh yeah, he can read minds. "_My mother, a Leafeon, died two years ago from a terrible case of poison. A dreadful encounter with a Nidorino sealed her fate._" Ying shook his head solemnly. "_A year and a half later our father, a Glaceon, was severely hurt in one of his missions from the Anti-Human Pokemon Union. Or AHPU for short. He used the last of his strength to make it back here to say his goodbyes. However, our father made Yang and I make a promise. He said that we could do whatever it takes to get along with each other. We also must live together and NEVER cause each other physical harm. I'm surprised that Yang respects that._" Ying finally finished and gently shut his eyes like he was remembering a memory of the past.

"You never told me that…" Burden said in a low but quiet tone. Almost a whisper really.

"_I never wanted to tell anyone…I really just wanted to keep it to myself and Yang. I would have kept this information to myself longer but what you witnessed confused you, therefore I thought that I might as well tell you._" Ying re-opened his eyes and looked mostly at me. His royal blue eyes seemed to glitter. I tilted my head very slightly. Is he trying to hold back tears?

Wait a second, what was that Ying said about an organization? Anti-Human something? My eyes wandered to my front paws in deep thought. A club where Pokemon hate humans? Does something like that really exist?

"_Yes there is._" I jumped. My fur stood up from the shock. I sighed and looked at Ying. Now I have to primp later. Sigh. "_Heh, my deepest apologies about that. But there is such a thing. The AHPU is indeed an enormous organization of Pokemon who despise human kind. They do all they can to make the life of humans miserable. Sometimes… Well… They go overboard and kill them._" This made me quietly gasp. I kept listening on to his speech. "_Did I mention that the type of humans they hate worst of all is Team Galactic, Rocket and so on? Those evil people are what first started the incorporation, then the abuse from normal Trainers and so on. Their hatred has been building since the first Team Rocket report. I personally disagree with the union even though my father was a part of it._"

"Why have I never heard of it?" Burden took a step forward and looked at Ying questionably. Ying returned the stare and paused for a moment. Honestly, I'm thinking the same thing.

"_They do an incredible job keeping themselves classified. Humans don't believe us Pokemon are intelligent enough to create an organization. That really helps with having a low profile." _Ying added. I see that the green Espeon is returning to his more calm and composed self.I smiled a little but no one noticed.

"So where do you think Yang ran off to?" I asked. I can't imagine where he would go. Maybe a gutter but that's it.

"_Who's to say? He usually comes back between the time of thirty minutes from now or three days._" Ying then stretched his body and walked over to his bed, sitting. "_I'm not worried. He HAS to come back. While I wait I'll just take a nap._" The shiny psychic type yawned and lied down looking dreamily content. "_Why don't you two 'mates', as Yang calls you, go off and let me rest._" With that, Ying turned over to his other side and snoozed off to sleepy land.

I looked up at Burden from the corner of my eye. He seemed to be tensed up. I look quickly away. I didn't want Burden to see me looking at him. I then remembered something important. I put my paw to my muzzle, licked it, and then cleaned my face gently. Thank you bad habits.

"Hey." A dark voice muttered in my ear. This made my heart beat fast. I didn't expect to hear a close ranged voice. "Let's go." I gradually looked up at Burden who was drawing his head away from me and heading towards the exit of the den. That left the snoozing Espeon and me. I figured that Ying had enough company for one day and started for the door. Before brushing past the leaf-covered branches that was the exit, I stopped and glanced over my shoulder at Ying. I'll have to ask him more questions when I get the chance. I squeezed past the brush and exited through the foreign hole. However when I entered the world of light, I didn't see Burden at all. I caught my breath. Did he leave me?

I began searching the area around Ying's house. Not a shiny Absol in sight. I soon became anxious. What if he abandoned me like Blair? Maybe he got kidnapped. Or perhaps he went for a walk in the deeper parts of the forest. I knew I would probably be making a fool out of myself but I began calling Burden's name.

"Hey Burden! Where are you? Helloooooo?" I tried not to yell too loud. Ying is sleeping like a kit inside his den after all.

My quickened breath ceased. I suddenly heard the snapping of a twig and the rustling of grass. Anxiety and worry was soon replaced by fear and concentration. I stiffened my muscles and slowly positioned myself into my attack pose. I listened in hard to locate the noise. Nothing. I couldn't hear anything. I'm sure I'm just paranoid. Yeah. I lower my defenses and breath heavily. I've never been on my own. There was always someone beside me. I then heard the same rustling noise from before. I jumped and reversed my entire composure in seconds. Now I'm alert. My eyes flickered everywhere, my heartbeat quickened and my body temperature skyrocketed.

"Who's there?" I growl darkly. I'm actually scared to death but over the years I learned to fake violent aggression. Is the noise coming from behind trees or the bushes? Maybe the foe is invisible! I open my mouth and a ghostly orb forms. Its size was pretty average but not as big as I can make it if I truly tried. I release the black and purple sphere into the darkest part of the forest. I listened afterwards, waiting for a yelp or scream. Nope. Still nothing. My body relaxed itself. I'm going insane. There is absolutely no living being in this territory. I faintly whimper and sit down. Where is Burden? I wish he would show up…

"Hey." A dark voice whispered in the shadows of the forest. I traced its location with my ears and strained to see what lurked in the deeper parts of this woodland. My hopes got up. The voice sounds just like Burden. I'm not too sure though. Why won't he come out?

"Who are you?" I asked in a rather emotionless manner.

"Me? I'm a… friend." The voice replied slyly. I squinted my eyes suspiciously. Whoever this Pokemon is, it is no friend of mine.

"What do you want then?" I questioned in an agitated tone. I refuse to show any weakness.

I heard something shift in the darkness of the trees. I positioned my body into offensive. "Tell me. Have you ever had an owner before?" The rugged voice sounded slightly closer. Whoever this guy was, he was completely ignoring my question.

"Why should I tell you?" I snapped. There was a long pause. I heard a growling sound and then more rustling. It took me until I was being held by the scruff of my neck to realize that the sound was actually coming form behind me. At first I thought a human had picked me up from the huge height I was being held from but as I was slightly turned towards the creature, I saw dark blue skin. More scaly than skin actually. I looked into my attacker's eyes. A Garchomp. My movement froze and my body grew still. The male dragon laughed at my reaction.

"Listen. I don't want to hurt you. But if you struggle and fight then I'm afraid we'll have to take that path." The Garchomp's face suddenly got serious. "I'm taking you somewhere. If you resist me then you might have to die."

Still I am frozen. My mind is completely blank. I can only think of the horrible things he can do to me right now. Anything…

"So will you be a good girl? Or do I have to snap some bones to convince you?" The dragon type whispered huskily into my ear. I shuddered and closed my eyes. What do I do? If I fight I die. If I go with him I lose track of Burden and still might be killed. Suddenly I was shook violently. The pulling of my skin hurt and I yelped. "I want my answer." The monstrous Pokemon demanded.

"Mmm…" I whimpered. I can't say yes or no. I immediately felt like a hostage. The Garchomp's grip tightened and I winced. What's going on? What did I do?

"You're really starting to test me, you red wretch." He spat and threw me hard onto the ground. I managed to recover but then we had a standoff. I couldn't tell if I was hyperventilating or not but it felt like I was ready to faint from fear. But I'm stronger than that. I have faced Pokemon all over the world. Just not a Pokemon like this…

"Blaaaze?" A familiar voice called from far away. I was so happy I felt like crying, however I am not that emotional. A grin spread across my face as I heard the Garchomp curse under his breath and begin to slightly panic.

"You listen here, Flare. I WILL come for you later. Don't expect me to go easy on you next time." The blue and red dragon then leaped into the darkness of the forest and disappeared. Flare? Was he shortening my specie name? I'm sure he was. I never heard of anyone doing that before though. I was always told that it was rude to call a Pokemon by their specie name, let alone shortening it.

"Ah, there you are." Burden smiled and trotted up to me. Right now, even walking up to me would be a great comfort. I looked into Burden's joyful, shimmering eyes. I couldn't tell him what just happened. I don't want him to be upset. Instead I thought of just acknowledging him and acting happy.

"Where were you?" I laughed. On the inside I am scared, sad and upset but if I show my feelings then Burden will notice. I don't want that.

"Oh sorry, I was talking to Yang. Let's just say he's coming home sooner than three days." He smirked. I smirked too. After a couple seconds, Burden looked at me strangely. I began to grow nervous.

"W-what?" I stuttered. Is there a scratch on me? This is just great.

"Your fur." Burden remarked. I bit my bottom lip. Busted. "It's really messy. Were you running around?"

A spark of opportunity rose. "Yeah, I was picking a fight with some Buneary. I'm okay though." I gleamed. So much work to do when I get home. Sigh.

"Here, let me fix some of it." Burden calmly offered as he licked his paw and combed it through the yellow patch of fur on my head. My face got hot.

"Thanks…" I almost muttered.

A few moments later, he stopped cleaning the fur on my head. "Are you ready to go home? It's already sunrise so by the time we get home it will be dark."

I gave Burden a warm smile and nodded. We walked side-by-side out of the forest and so on. As we traveled back home I had a busy mind. What else is the Anti-Human Pokemon Union about? Why did the Garchomp attack me, ask me questions and call me Flare? I also want to know… Who are my parents? My only memory of them is hearing their voices. Nothing else. I don't know if it's weird to only remember their voices and not their looks but nevertheless this bothers me. Were my parents evolved? Were they both related in evolutions or is my dad a Furret? Okay, I don't want to think about that anymore. I'll just focus on the walk home.

* * *

I followed Burden through the teal cloth door. Home sweet home I guess. My body is still sore from my encounter with that ruffian Garchomp today. Burden was already lied down next to the fire and was dozing on half his cloak. He was right all along. We did come back to the cliff by nightfall. But even I could have predicted that. I strutted up to the drowsy figure of Burden and lied next to him. My conscience kept nipping on my innards so I felt like confessing to Burden about what happened today.

I managed to open my chops. "Burden, you still awake?"

No reply. I sighed but of relief. I guess it's better to keep it to myself. Kind of how Ying tried to keep his problems to himself…

"Hn…" Burden turned over and slightly twitched. He must be dreaming. I smiled at him and then licked my paw. When Burden turned, some of his fur stood up. I used my paw to wet it down. He breathed in content and I lightly giggled.

I suddenly yawned. That is a sign that I need to go to sleep. I settle down right next to Burden and lower my head. I close my eyes softly and doze off to the sound of crackling flames from the fireplace. The sound soothes me.


	6. Having an unfortunate day

"Blaze, get up." A dark voice called. I felt something nudge my head lightly. I yawned and lazily opened my eyes in reply. My vision is dreadfully blurred but I can tell that it is Burden who is talking to me.

I get up sluggishly and stretch out my body. My vision returns and the world around me became much clearer. I shake my head and look over at Burden. His expression seemed serious. "Is something wrong?" I asked.

His deep blue eyes narrowed on my back neck. His tone seemed troubled. "Are you sure something else didn't happen yesterday?"

A cold chill ran down my spine. Why would he ask that? "Not that I know of…" I responded in an unsure manner.

Burden's attention diverted from my mane to my eyes. "I think you do." He said rather plainly.

It seemed to take hours for me to reply to his statement. Finally I spoke up. "Why do you ask?"

No words came out of the shiny Absol's mouth. Instead he kept looking at me in an almost pleading way. I sighed. My head hanged low as I tried to think of what to say. It was then that Burden caught me off guard and began to speak. "Why is there blood spread throughout your fur?" I froze in place. B-blood? I thought back. That Garchomp really must have dug into my skin. I must have been bleeding over night. It makes sense that it would have been more noticeable the next day. I then realized something. The blood has probably stained my fur. How troublesome.

The room seemed to be grim. I really don't want Burden to get involved. I raise my head gradually and stare at the dark type. "Yesterday," I managed to say slowly. "I was attacked."

Burden's face seemed to change from worried to agitated. "Who attacked you?"

I felt my head get fuzzy. What if I told him? Would he go crazy and try to kill it? "A, uh, Garchomp." I tried to say regularly.

"A Garchomp?" Burden's eyes went wide. "What did it do to you?"

"Ambushed me and asked questions really…" I started to think back to the other day. It feels terrible to think about it.

"What kind of questions?" He continued.

"If I had a trainer and y'know, the usual stuff." I tried to perk myself up but it wasn't really working. It just made me feel worse. It seems pretty weird to mention but the campfire flames right next to me seemed to have died down almost completely.

The red Absol thought for a second and looked at the wall. I can't imagine what he's thinking right now. Burden then peered at me from the corner of his eye. "You want to get cleaned up?"

"Yeah, I suppose so." I said innocently. Good vibes. Must keep the good vibes.

"We can go to Lake Acuity to get wash the blood out." Burden informed. "But it will be a little cold since we live in a wasteland of snow."

"Thanks for the warning." I muttered through my teeth. I hate water and not just because I'm a fire type. Cold water is just as bad as regular water. I inhale deeply and release. Stupid environment.

Burden held the clothed door for me and smiled at my reaction. "Let's go."

I smiled back faintly. As long as he forgets about the incident, I'm not too worried anymore.

* * *

The chilly water seems to be taunting me. Laughing as I frowned upon its presence. My very being is only inches away from the edge of the Lake. I raise my thermal body heat to its max. I'm so nervous to touch the freezing liquid. Curse this place for being so cold! I close my eyes and try to collect myself. Pretend it's a spring, yeah. It's so hot that I can see the steam rising from it.

"You okay over there?" A low voice called from behind me. I re-opened my eyes and turned around to see Burden watching over me from under a tree. He was lying down looking very bored but also calm.

"Yeah, I'm just thinking." I tried to assure him even though it probably wasn't that convincing. I once again turn towards the lake and faintly sigh. I'm so pathetic.

"All right." Burden said in an energetic tone.

I nodded to myself. This is nothing. I can take the cold. I held my breath as I prepared myself to jump in. I hear you get used to the water easier this way. I coiled back and jumped into the air. The cold air pushed into my face, helping me get used to the water much easier as I cannonballed into the lake. It felt like my entire body landed on a pile of needles. I felt numb and paralyzed for a moment until feeling came back into my body and I swam back to the surface.

There was only one reaction I had against the chilly air and the freezing water as I surfaced. "IT'S FREAKIN' COLD!" I wailed.

Burden just laughed hysterically at me. "Hahaha! You'll freeze to death if you don't clean up quickly!"

My teeth chattered mildly. I wonder what would have happened if I _wasn't_ a Flareon? On second thought, that image isn't helping me get any warmer. The water around me is dark and of course deep looking. I figure that if I dive underwater for a few seconds then get out then maybe the blood can simply be groomed off afterwards. I gather all my thoughts of warmth, hold my breath and take a huge dive into the cloudy water.

Being two feet underwater isn't anything to panic about but when an oversized Seaking comes speeding at you with its horn pointing forward then yeah, you should be completely mortified. At first I didn't see the fish coming at me but when I felt the water shift at my side, I knew that something else was in this lake other than me. My numbed body became alert as the water type darted at me. I used all my strength to shift my weight to the side as the charging Seaking glided past my tail. Panic rose to my throat as I tried to swim away and reach the surface for air. There's virtually nothing I can do underwater to save my life so I paddled my way up. I was not going to drown. I suddenly felt a sharp pain in my back thigh and realized something. The Seaking was still attacking me, plus it stabbed my in my hind leg. I cringed as the horned fish pulled out of my leg. It's not finished with me yet. I can tell because of the territorial look in its eyes. My air supply became dangerously low so I ignored my aggressor and rocketed straight for the surface. A plume of sweet oxygen entered my lungs as I gasped in all the air I could.

"Blaze! What's going on?" Burden shouted from shore. That sentence reminded me of that blasted Seaking following me. I wanted to tell him what was happening but I was a little busy swimming for my life towards land. I coughed as the lake's fresh water hit my mouth and made me gag. I am too determined to stop for anything. I feel the fish's presence behind me, gaining on me with its massive appendage. I swam so hard that my legs felt like noodles. The edge of the lake came closer to me. I was almost safe! I stepped on a protruding rock from underwater and soared onto the shoreline. I landed roughly, causing my body to feel the previous pain in the water. Large amounts of water dripped from me and onto the ground. With my fur completely soaked, I managed to stand for a moment until my injured hind leg gave out on me and I fell over to my side.

My eyes feel heavy and the world seems to move slowly. I thought I heard the Seaking laughing at me. Almost instantly, I notice a figure approaching me from afar. It looks like Burden but my mind can't register that for some reason. My head started to feel lighter as the Pokemon stood next to my side and shook my body. "Blaze!" It said in a pleading tone. "C'mon, get up." I wanted to say 'Who are you?' but all that came out was a weak moan as I rested my head on the ground and blacked out.

* * *

The first thing I felt as I woke up was pain. My thigh hurts so bad that I wished that it were simply removed. My eyes opened swiftly. I shouldn't have done that since it only caused my vision to blur up. I tried to stand but my eyesight and pain mixed made me collapse. I shook my head and looked around me. I am lying on a tiny bed, property of a Pokemon Center. The walls, windows and floor are no different from any other. How did I get here? I have a room of my very own? Only Pokemon with rich trainers can get this kind of treatment.

I have a bowl of water and Pokemon food right next to me, along with a rubber ball in the far corner of the room. A mirror is placed perfectly against the wall across from me, just so I can see myself. I did not look well at all. My thigh is wrapped with bandages, which explains why I can't stand upright. The crimson fur on my leg is stained with a darker shade of red trickled downward to my paw. It seems like the blood has been dry for a long time. My face looked tired and weary which is funny because I definitely feel that way. Last but not least, my fur is so ruffled and messed up that I swear I would have screamed if it weren't for me being so weak. I jumped violently as I heard a click from the door on the right of me. Nurse Joy walked in looking happy. So happy that it was almost scary. She turned to me and smiled which caused me to notice something. Her eyes are glowing a light blue, which isn't her normal iris color. I tilted my head as she turned towards an unknown person on the other side of the doorway.

"Your Pokemon is in here." Nurse Joy sounded like a zombie but she still smiled and seemed content. "Please notify me if you need anything else. Good day." With that said, she walked out of the room and out of my sight.

A really neon green Espeon walked through the door, its eyes were just fading from a glow. "_Good to see you're still alive, Miss Blaze._" It said in a relaxed tone and sat down in front of the mirror. I was kind of glad it did because the image of myself was upsetting me.

It was then a familiar shiny Absol came through the door, trotted towards me and took a seat right in front of my bed. I noticed that he put something reddish down in front of himself but my stupid vision was acting up again. "Are you feeling okay?"

"No, not really." I said weakly and gradually tried to sit down without injuring myself any further. My back leg was throbbing, causing my entire body to feel the agony. I quickly sat up and decided to curl up and lie down. It didn't hurt too badly. But the hot seer was still there however.

"_Do you even know how long you have been out cold?_" I looked past Burden's form to see Ying talking to me, just glancing at the mirror while doing so.

Actually, that never crossed my mind. My tongue felt tied as I tried to speak. "No. How long?"

"Three days…" Burden interrupted Ying's answer. I can tell because it felt as if Ying was about to send me a mind message. Burden continued. "You've been sleeping for three days. Counting this one."

"_That's basically a coma._" Ying commented behind Burden's back. The red and white Pokemon glared over his shoulder for a moment but then drew his attention back towards me.

"I haven't missed anything have I?" I instinctively stood but then the jolt of pain reminded me that I was injured, causing me to withdraw back and lie down. My face twisted from the shots of pain. I hate to have my friends see me like this.

Burden's face turned soft as he grabbed the sun shaped object that he was hiding under himself in his mouth and placed it between my front legs. "It's a get well gift." He murmured.

I blinked. Are my eyes deceiving me? "But, how did you get this?"

I heard Ying's thoughts enter my foggy mind. "_Secret. Can't tell you._" He chuckled.

"Oh…" I paused to take a look at my gift. A Lansat Berry. I heard that this is a legendary berry that has the ability to boost your attacks. But where did he get such a rare berry?

"I'm sure you can't use it now but it can be used for future use." Burden said thoughtfully.

"You really have a liking to berries." I stated. I wanted to move something of my body so I began swishing my tail back and forth steadily.

"Yeah but I'm an omnivore. It just so happens that I'm kind of forced to eat more fruits than meat." Burden replied.

I nodded. I'm the same way too. The only difference is that I was raised to eat berries more than meat. As the bird type Pokemon outside chirped I soon realized something my hazy brain should have thought of before. "How did you guys get in here? It's a Pokemon Center, NOT a building for wild Pokemon to walk on in and take a stroll."

Burden pointed his paw toward Ying who was still looking into the mirror for some odd reason. "It's really nice to have a psychic type as a friend."

"_You're quite lucky._" Ying sarcastically said. "_If it wasn't for Blaze's condition then I wouldn't have helped you at all considering the fact that you 'borrowed' that berry from me._" His head turned towards us and smirked.

"Touché." Burden looked slightly annoyed but laughed a little. I can tell he didn't want me to know.

My head jerked in surprise toward the door as I heard the knob of it wriggle. Ying sprang up almost immediately and faced the door with an intimidating look. Burden just sat contently and stared at the entrance like it was nothing. I cocked my head to the side. Nurse Joy walked in but just as her eyes met Ying's, well y'know. The mind control thing. Nurse Joy then turned toward Burden and grinned.

"I'm sorry but visiting hours are over. You'll have to leave soon, Burlem." The human simply said and then walked out. Ying's eyes faded from the bluish glow.

"Burlem?" I asked Burden. The thought of the name made me giggle slightly.

"She sees me as a human and I couldn't think of a better name." The shiny Absol shrugged.

"_Well it's time to go I suppose. We'll pick you up tomorrow._" Ying huffed tiredly and moved toward the door. "_Bye Blaze._" The emerald Espeon finished and waited outside of the doorway for Burden.

"You're gonna leave me here alone?" I almost sounded desperate. The sad part was that I really am.

Burden smiled faintly and fixed up the yellow tuft of fur on my head with his paw. "I'm sorry Blaze, but I can't risk having you get kicked out because Nurse Joy found you sleeping with an Absol."

My ears drooped in disappointment and my eyes narrowed in slight anxiety. I have never slept by myself before. It feels bizarre just to imagine it. Burden noticed my reaction and licked my cheek. I looked up at him blankly.

"I promise that we will get you tomorrow around the evening. The nurse said that your leg should be fine if you rest up for the day and don't move. She also said that it was okay to take you home tomorrow. Can you last 'till then?" He almost whispered. I saw the glitter in his blue eyes. I knew that he wasn't kidding.

"Yeah…" I whispered back. Burden then turned around and trotted by the doorway. He peered over at me for the last time this day and then disappeared in a mirage of heat.

Now I am officially alone. No living thing around but myself. I started to feel angry. The Seaking did this to me. If it weren't for it, I wouldn't be here right now troubling my friends over my being. I wouldn't be semi-crippled and bed ridden. I would be back at the cave talking to Burden and adventuring with him. But no. No matter how much that Seaking grinds my gears, I should be resting. Getting angry doesn't help with that. I tucked myself more into my bed sheets. I guess what I'm really anxious about is what Burden has been doing all this time. As my mind races with questions, eventually my mind blurs and I start to enter my dream world. Before I do however, a feeling of loneliness sweeps over me.


	7. Finding out the answers Pt 1

**I feel like I rushed the last chapter a bit. Sorry to those who thought it was too short. Enjoy!**

* * *

I sense reality as I wake from my slumber. The light from the window was shining on me and disturbed my well-needed sleep. I grunted in defeat. Once I'm up, I'm up. The room looks much brighter in the morning, which annoys me to no end. With a sigh I lift my body up a tiny bit. No pain. Am I really healed? Yesterday the pain was almost excruciating but I feel healthy now. I pulled up the rest of my body and by some miracle, stood on all four paws. The bandages on my leg unraveled over night apparently, because the ragged thing was lying on the mini bed.

A grin appeared on my face. "I can stand…" I whispered to myself. I spoke a little too soon when my legs slightly wobbled. However I caught myself due to my returned strength. Okay, I can sort of stand.

I approached the mirror in front of me. Or should I say I approached the nightmare in front of me? My fur looked far worse than the other day. This makes me so flustered. Sometimes I wonder why I even bother. I decided to let the anger out of my system with a simple, "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" To the humans I probably said, 'FLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRE!' But I'm sure they would come running either way.

As I predicted, Nurse Joy came bursting through my door with panic decorated all over her face. I want to get clean the easy way so I came up with an idea. I learned to communicate with humans over the years through body language. To make this human understand I gave her a sad-cute look along with me eyeing her then my fur. I bet you can guess her reaction.

"Aww, do you want to get washed up?" The Nurse baby talked me. Annoying but I perked up and chirped in reply. This is like stealing rare candy from a baby Pokemon. I have this girl in my grasp. Nurse Joy smiled heartily. "Okay then follow me."

I nodded and scurried beside her the entire trip. We exited out of my room and into a not so long hallway. Then we walked through the lobby of the Center. Before we ventured past the entrance of this place I saw a girl with blond hair holding a scorched Happiny in her arms with a black haired human boy right next to her holding a semi-frozen Pichu. I felt bad but I soon forgot all about them as soon as we stopped at a wooden screen door. I'm guessing this is where I get cleaned.

The pink haired woman opened the door and revealed a tiled room with all sorts of bathing equipment. I think my eyes just about sparkled. "Well don't you look eager!" The human giggled. I ignored her and rushed through the door.

* * *

As I strutted out of the steamed room I couldn't help but jump for joy. Blair only took me to the Pokemon Center's grooming place once in my lifetime. I'm glad I got to do it again. My fur is so poofy yet sheen at the same time and to me, that is an accomplishment. My paws made a clicking sound as I pranced. Childish? No, I was just releasing some of my joy before it made the earth explode.

I was so busy parading around that I didn't see Nurse Joy come out of the room. She glanced over at me and chuckled. "I'm glad to see you recover so quickly! Maybe your trainer won't have to keep an eye on you for symptoms."

I halted and then looked up at her gleefully. For some reason she completely ignored my existence and ran off, leaving me all alone outside the grooming room. Sobbing can be heard from the lobby. I tilted my head to the side. What's going on now? I cautiously peeked from the corner and saw a longhaired red headed girl carrying a severely burned shiny Roserade. I raked my brain. Wait a second! That's Blair and Thorn! I jetted from behind the wall and dashed towards Thorn. I slid to a stop in front of Thorn's limp body, which was being held by a crying Blair. Blair knelt as she held the torched grass type. I completely ignored my former trainer and placed a paw on the Roserade's head.

"Thorn?" I whispered. "It's me, Blaze." I can't believe this is happening. She can't be…

Thorn's eyes inched open. Her violet withered irises gleamed as she saw me. "Blaze…" She replied in a hoarse voice. "You're alive…"

I swallowed a huge lump in my throat. "That's right. I was never dead to begin with." I assured. "But, what happened to you?"

The poison/grass type breathed hard. Talking must be hurting her throat. "Battle with a Mascargo… I was Blair's last Pokemon. I… Couldn't let her down." Pain suddenly struck Thorn and she cringed.

I wanted to keep talking to her. To let her know that it was all right. But of coarse I was interrupted by a certain traitor. "Flareon?" My ex trainer sobbed. I glared up at her, causing her to look petrified. Never once in our lives did I ever even dare to roll my eyes at her. I hope she got my message. Nurse Joy pushed me back in order to attend to my inflamed friend. I narrowed my eyes on my paws. There's not much I can do here. My decision was final. I took one last look at my injured best friend and make a daring dash for the exit. "Wait!" Blair called out as I swished through the glass doors.

I sprinted towards a house across the street and hid behind it. My chest heaved and my heart is pumped. A little voice inside me said that I was terrible for leaving a comrade behind. Another voice told me to get far away as possible to avoid the pain. I did neither and just lied down on the ground. I am safe behind this building so no human can point me out. I looked up at the sky. Sunset. Burden and Ying should be here soon. I huffed deeply and lowered my head to my paws. Before I knew it, I dozed off.

* * *

"Hey." A familiar dark voice rasped. I opened my blurry eyes and smiled. Burden must have found me behind the house. Out of nowhere, a sharp pain coursed through my body as something sharp pierced the back of my neck. I yelped. I just got out of the hospital and this is what I get? A low growl came from behind me. "I'm getting tired of tracking you Pyra." The sinister voice grumbled. "Now make up your mind before fur flies."

Panic is all I feel right now. I feel trapped. Every time I try to move a hot pain would follow. Why do I have such dumb luck? I managed to speak after three spasms of agony. "What do you want?"

A rough chuckle erupted from behind me. "All I ask is for you to come along with me." I abruptly pulled forward and I screamed in pain. "Stop resisting! I thought I told you that I needed you alive!" The voice rumbled.

He told me? Oh no. It was that Garchomp. "No!" I cried. "Leave me alone!" The Garchomp looked around franticly, afraid that someone heard me. However we are all alone.

The Garchomp retaliated with a dark laugh. "I guess I'll have to drag you there." The dragon cackled as we began to shift from behind the building and into the shadows of the twilight town. "I hope you know that you will get something good out of this you bloody punk." He growled.

It wasn't until we stepped out of the city limits that I realized that he had dagger-like stubs for hands. My stomach felt sick all of a sudden. The Garchomp pierced my skin with his single claw. I wanted to faint but it was impossible due to the fact that every step he took pulled my skin. Yeah, that hurts. It felt like hours before we reached a dark forest with absolutely no light from within. We stopped just outside of the forested area. "If I put you down, will you run? Answer honestly or else I _will_ kill you in your sleep." The Garchomp growled. I nodded hastily. I whimpered as the Garchomp placed me down on the ground and released me from his 'grasp'.

I felt dizzy all of a sudden. The Garchomp panicked once again and quickly stabbed a Sitrus Berry from a hidden pouch on his leg that I never noticed. He shoved the berry in my face. I reluctantly ate it and soon felt better. Then it hit me. "W-why are you helping me after kidnapping me?" I asked.

The dragon sighed irritably. "Must I repeat myself? I. Need. You. Alive. Understand?" Yeah, yeah but what I really wanted to know was WHY? I kept silent and just nodded. Pea brained monster…

"Follow me and try not to trip over a twig." The Garchomp added as we entered the gloomy woodland. This guy is asking for it but I must keep my cool. I'll annihilate him later.

Once more it seemed like forever to get to our destination. I have no clue where we are. The trees look dead but they are alive at the same time. The grass looks like a deep blue but it just might be because of the lighting. Exhaustion crept up on me as we walked. I'm sure it's already nighttime. I haven't been on track of time since my occasional blurs have been happening. Funny how this morning was fantastic but now it's evening and it sucks. I wonder if Burden knows I'm gone…

"Stop!" The Garchomp ordered. I listened and immediately paused. He continued. "See that boulder covering up that cave?" I looked over from behind his figure. A giant rock is nudged really tightly into the entrance. It would probably take a Rhyperior to get that thing out of the way. I looked up at the Garchomp and shook my head agreeably.

"Good." Was his only reply as he walked over to a tree beside me and pressed against it with his sharp talon. I only stood in awe as the tree beeped and blinked colors and the boulder moved to the side revealing a high tech room inside. I look up at the Garchomp. He saw my face and chuckled. "Didn't expect that did ya?"

We made our way through the entrance. As we stepped inside, the boulder closed in behind us. No escaping now. I looked at my surroundings. It's almost like a mini lab for Pokemon. This place is bigger than I imagined too. There are other stairs and rooms from what I can see. This place looks almost like an organization… Wait a second.

"Sir!" The Garchomp shouted and raised his claw to his chest like some kind of salute.

I glanced over at the doorway beside the super computer of this lab-like place. A Ninetails sitting respectively in front of the doorway appeared. His demeanor was calm yet powerful. My body froze as the fox gracefully stood up and trotted up to me. Why does this creature frighten me?

The fire fox stopped in front of me then peered over at the dragon. "At ease." He said. His voice sounded smooth yet deep. Did my legs just turn to liquid? Maybe 'cause it feels like it. The Garchomp lowered his arm. The Ninetails then lowered his eyes upon me. I ceased my breathing. "You don't need to be afraid." He said gently. "You're home now."

"What?" I anxiously laughed. "I don't live here." I corrected. This guy makes no sense whatsoever.

The large sized fox chuckled. "Of coarse you do. You are my daughter." He gleamed.

* * *

**Short I know but I love cliffhangers and I've been dying to do one. Have fun waiting!**


	8. Finding out the answers Pt 2

The room fell silent. Did this Pokemon just say he was my dad? I looked at the Ninetales with shock. "You're my father?" I barely spoke.

Silence again. The fox just stared at me seriously and then, all of a sudden, started chuckling to himself. I squinted my eyes in confusion. Has this guy lost his mind? The fire type finished laughing and shook his head playfully. "Oh dear child, you are such a joker." He started to giggle again but then stopped. "Of coarse _I'm_ not your father."

Did I miss something? Have I been pulled out from behind a safe building just to meet some wacky Ninetales? I became slightly annoyed as the creature in front of me grinned. He needs to be severely beaten in my opinion.

The Ninetales then ceased his playful routine and looked at me seriously once again. Slightly awed. "Did you really forget about having a father, young one?" Smoothness returned in his tone.

"Umm… yeah." I had to think for a second to answer that one. I'm not too sure what's happening but I'll go along with it.

The Ninetales gave me a pained look. "Oh…" He muttered. There was a slight pause as if he was about to say something else, but instead he faced towards the still-standing Garchomp. "Why are you still here?" The fox demanded in a powerful voice. This made the Garchomp flinch and march out of the room and up the stairs next to the spinning machine thingy.

I immediately felt uncomfortable. "Who are you exactly, sir?" I said innocently. I didn't want to experience the fear of having an elite yell at me like what just happened to that Garchomp. I have no idea what I'm up against.

Suddenly the fox's voice turned from powerful to nurturing as he answered me. Is this Pokemon bipolar or what? "My name is Flinto." He began. "I am one of the top commanders of this organization. Sorry about earlier, Slick can get on my nerves at times." I'm guessing that the Garchomp's name is Slick. Hehe, puns.

"What kind of business do you run here?" I asked gently. I sat on the floor thinking maybe this conversation was going to be longer than expected.

The fire type looked away towards one of the machines, then he stared back at me. I saw a suspicious gleam in his eyes. "You shall find out later when I introduce you to your father. He's been searching for you since you were stolen away. I think he's gone mad, personally."

My father is a lunatic? I mentally sighed. What's next? Dancing Wigglytuffs on tightropes? I used my standard voice. I don't think I'm being threatened anymore. "Can I see him?"

The large fox chuckled lightly. "Of coarse." Flinto turned away and began walking towards the hidden side of the master computer thing. I followed him in a rush. I'm kind of excited to see my dad. I mean it's not like I ever met him before. When I reached Flinto, an elevator appeared and opened up. This thing was well hidden for even I didn't see it earlier. The Ninetales stepped inside and gestured for me to come in. I nodded and pranced inside. The doors closed as Flinto pressed a button that simply said '8'. It was the very last digit on the keyboard. Suddenly the elevator jerked and we traveled down towards the Earth. I pursed my lips as we went down deeper. Elevators make me nervous. A ding sounded when we finally reached floor eight. The fire type stepped out first and I followed from behind.

The hallways in this underground passage seemed normal. The walls are white plastered and the floor is a tan tiled design. I could fall asleep from boredom if we walked long enough. Instead we stopped outside of a door. This door was different from all the regular wooden doors. This one is marble. Flinto smirked at me and mouthed 'Have fun' as he opened the door for me. I stared up at him and gave him an unconvincing smile. I'm nervous about all this. It all seems too good to be true. The door behind me closed rashly, which means I'm not going anywhere. I slowly trudged into the dark room. I can hardly see a thing but I do know that an active fireplace is placed to the right of the room with some pictures looming on top of its surface. I noticed a Pokemon sized desk with two exotic looking plants on the sides of its corners. The last thing I was able to notice was the silhouette of a sculpture in the form of a Scizor.

I choked on my words as I tried to speak. "Um… Hello?"

Nothing happened or replied. I waited in the darkness for a few seconds. Suddenly I heard a low but rough voice from under the desk. "Yessss?" It sounded almost creepy but yet playful.

"Er… Are you perhaps my father?" I asked sweetly. Almost instantly, a rummaging sound came from under the desk and out came a figure. The four-legged silhouette was standing on the desk. It was too dark to tell what kind of Pokemon he was.

"Let me get a good look at ya…" The rough voice chipped. A second later I heard a clicking sound and all the lights in the room came on.

My mouth fell to the floor as I saw the male in front of me that could possibly be my dad. On top of the cherry wood desk was a muscular Houndoom with incredibly sharp horns and cold, undefeated looking eyes. My blood coursed faster through my veins as the dog jumped off from the desk and inspected me like a piece of meat.

"Well you seem to be her…" The Houndoom commented. "Tell me." He started, a shady tone in his voice. "Are you usually… nervous?"

I nodded. Why would he ask that?

"Just like your mother…" He whispered to himself, still circling around me. I kept a straight face forward. My father is really intimidating, well, if he even _is_ my father. The mutt stopped in front of me. He sounded rugged. "Were you raised by a trainer by any chance?"

I swallowed. "Yes." This is a very psychotic Pokemon I'm guessing.

"Then I'm positive." The Houndoom smiled. "I finally found you, Pyra." The fire/dark type gave me a big hug and I just slightly returned it. Pyra?

"Uh, listen." I stammered as I ended the hug. "My name is Blaze, not Pyra."

The demon dog in front of me looked ready to kill something. He started to pace the room back and forth, saying profanities in-between every sentence. "Damn humans! Taking my kit away from me… Madness I say!" A snarl escaped from his throat as I stood by watching silently, feeling out of place. "They think they can control my child's name? Hell no! It's all their fault that I couldn't find you." He continued. Apparently he's ranting at me. His pace quickens. "Maybe Puria would be alive today if it wasn't for them…" Suddenly all of my father's anger faded into sadness. I tilted my head to the side. The Houndoom sighed and walked over towards the fireplace with the two pictures on top of it. He raided his attention towards a picture of a Vaporeon. In the picture, the Vaporeon just got out of the water and was looking embarrassed. It almost seemed like she accidentally fell in before the picture was taken. The dog stared deeply at it but then broke away his glance and peered over to me.

A glum smile stretched across the hell hound's face. "Your mother looked at me the same way when I goofed off in my younger days." The Houndoom mentioned. "She was beautiful I tell ya." He then walked over towards me and shook his head. "It's a shame you couldn't see her..."

So my mom was a Vaporeon? I would have never guessed. Something crossed my mind just then. "How did mom die, dad?"

My father's face grew solemn. He lowered his head and spoke in a darker manner. "After you were born, your mother and I knew you would grow up to be a Flareon. That night when your egg only moved when near the fire, we knew what to name you. Pyra. However, just two days after your birth, an old human took you away. I was busy hunting when you were kidnapped. Puria tried to stop him but he just ran off into a near building with you in hand. See, your mother and I moved to this place where all kinds of Pokemon mated and grew stronger. Little did we know that it was also a place where trainers bred their Pokemon only to take their eggs from them. Your poor mother was heartbroken and she cried almost every night." He continued. I felt my eyes sting as he spoke. Did she really miss me that bad? "We decided to leave that place and look for you. It was only three weeks of searching when your mom… disappeared." I knew he'd start choking up if he said died. I listened on. "A man dressed in black with a letter 'R' on his clothes tried to take me and your mother away. We fought but apparently not good enough when Puria heard that _damn_ Kricketune's Perish Song." My dad stopped. He couldn't say any more or else he would break down right there and then. I wiped my teary eyes with my paw and walked up to my grieving dad. I patted him on the shoulder and he looked over at me.

"It's okay daddy." I whispered and gave him a hug. "I'm here now…" Even though I never saw this creature in my life, he is my parent and I must respect him. The Houndoom returned the hug and held me tight. My heart swelled with sadness and joy. I'm sure my father felt the same way.

* * *

After our 'warm moment', my dad described his entire life. After mom died, he grew vengeful and filled with rage. He decided that he despised humans in every way and form after that day. He told me how he became leader of the Anti-Human Pokemon Union. Why is he the big boss? Well let's just say that he took down more than one Team Galactic base. He even admitted in our conversation that he had gone slightly mad with the thoughts of his entire family being gone. I can't blame him. Dad also informed me on how he sent out soldiers and agents just to find me. I couldn't believe how many Flareons and Eevees this Houdoom rounded up just to find me. _Me!_ An average eon on the road now and then. Today was his lucky day because here I stand in his office. Something tells me that this mutt hasn't smiled in years. That is until today.

"So let me get this straight." I started as my father finished telling me his stories. "My real name is Pyra?"

The Houndoom nodded proudly. "It always was." His face then turned slightly angered. "I have no clue what your _trainer_ named you, but it certainly couldn't be as good as what your mother called you." He mocked as he said trainer.

"Well it was Blaze." I mumbled quietly. I'm a little unsure if I should have even said that.

The dog's mouth curved to a smirk. "Not a very creative name." He gawked. "I have two soldiers named Blaze. A common identification if you ask me."

I nodded awkwardly. I suppose it is an all around name. I did name myself that though… My dad suddenly jumped as if he sat on a tack.

"Not that I'm insulting you of coarse." He rushed. Then he returned to his normal stature. "But I'm just saying."

My lips tugged to a grin. He's a good guy, it's just that he puts up a tough exterior. But still… My dad is the head honcho of the AHPU? My brain scrambled as I thought it over and over again. I then realized that there was an uncomfortable pause so I started rambling on. "So yeah, okay, my name is Pyra from now on. Got it." I laughed a little. Hmm, not very smooth.

Dad chuckled and shook his head. "I swear, you act just like your mother." Then he stopped and turned his attention towards the marble door behind me. I looked back and saw a Blaziken. But this Blaziken was different. His colors seemed darker than a normal one. ANOTHER SHINY? Sigh… Why doesn't common sense listen to me? My dad's voice grew tough all of a sudden. "What's wrong commander?"

The dark shaded Blaziken put a claw to his chest in salute and then put it back down. Seriousness was glued all over his face as he spoke. "Sir, we have detected a pack of Team Galactic members around the area of Floroama town. What are your orders?"

The Houndoom in front of me sneered. "I want your squad to join up with Knights' and barrage them. I'm sure they won't be prepared for the attack."

The Blaziken took a step back in disbelief. "Did you just say Knights?" His tone got louder. "But you know that his team and mine don't work well together!"

My father's eyes grew dark. "I meant what I said. **No excuses!**" My heart vibrated as his voice erupted from his vocal chords. This is a VERY intimidating Pokemon… I'm proud to be his kit.

The Blaziken's eyes widened. "Y-yes sir!" With that he stumbled out of the door and ran off.

"Wow." I barely whispered. I turned back to my dad. He was smiling. It was almost like that scene never happened. Now I'm worried about his sanity. "You really know how to hand it to your employees huh?" I giggled nervously.

The dark dog scratched his ear with his hind leg. Peace returned to his form completely as he replied. "Yeah, I have to show dominance or no work will get done."

"I see." I murmured. Then I remembered. I have to get back to Burden. He must be worried sick about me. "Oh, hey dad?"

"Yeah?" He answered and ceased the scratching of his ear.

"Is it okay if I go home now?" I stammered. "I mean I do live in the wild now and I miss my friends. I promise to visit you though, er… y'know, if you find me. I live in the mountains of Snowpoint."

Dad looked deep in thought as he sat silently. Probably debating over what to do. Finally he began talking. "Fine. As long as I know where you are I'm relieved."

I ran over and glomped my dad, causing him to stumble back by a little. "I'll miss you!"

The hound recovered and put a paw around me. "I'll miss you too." He said in a deep tone.

I released him and stood back. I then remembered something. "Hey dad, how am I going to get back home?"

My father chuckled darkly and started walking towards the marble door. "Teleportation my dear. I'll call our organization's transporter."

* * *

The bright white light faded as I appeared on top of the snowy mountain. The Alakazam behind me teleported away without saying a simple 'bye' or 'see you later'. Jerk. However I quickly ignored that bit of rudeness and rushed through the teal cloth that was the entrance of my home. As I stopped beside the fire I saw Burden sleeping on his cloak. He seemed so sad yet peaceful. Gently I nudged his head. He stirred and opened his eyes. The next thing I knew I was on my back as the red Absol tackled me with joy.

"Blaze! You returned!" Burden chuckled in a raspy voice. "Where were you?"

After telling him to get off of me, I started explaining about the past events. I told him everything. Even about my mother's death.

"Harsh." Burden put simply. He paused for a second. "So your real name is Pyra huh?"

"I guess so." I shrugged with a grin.

"That's a pretty name too." He smirked.

I licked my paw and cleaned my face as a personal distraction. "Thanks." I giggled.

"Well it's very late now and I wish to continue my sleep. Care to join me?" Burden invited as he laid back down on his cloak and made room for me to lie on.

I stopped cleaning my face and paused for a second. Finally I had the voice to respond. "Sure." I cautiously stepped towards the bedding like mines were planted around it and then settled down beside Burden.

Burden's smirk faded as he rested his head on his paws. "Goodnight Bla- er." He re-opened an eye. "I mean Pyra." He shut his eye again and then nestled his head up against me.

My insides felt like they had Butterfrees in them as I snuggled against his fur. "Goodnight Burden." I faintly laughed. A few minutes passed. The only sound in the cave was the crackling of fire. Eventually its flickering flames soothed me and put me into a deep slumber.


	9. Dark creatures reveal themselves

**I know that there have been grammar and spelling errors in my previous chapters. I'm fully aware of that. I have an A plus in Literature, however I have been too lazy to read over my work recently. Perhaps one day I will rewrite this entire thing _correctly_. Anyways, thanks for reading and please enjoy this chapter.**

* * *

I open my dreary eyes and stretch my body. It's kind of hard to believe that I've only been in the wild for not even a month, and already so many things have happened. As I finish stretching, I notice that Burden is gone. He isn't in the cave at all. I shrugged and figured that perhaps he ventured out for a bit. As I yawned and trudged over to the berry bin, I immediately recognized the Chesto Berry and picked it up with my teeth. I walked over towards the tiny table and set it down. Chesto Berries work like coffee. I think that's what Blair called it. Anyway, they keep you awake for a long time. I should know 'cause I'm basically addicted to the stuff even though it's super hard and really dry. I bit into it and tried to swallow, but I coughed it down instead. Yep, this is one dry berry. After choking down the rest of the berry I became more alert. I might as well go outside to see if Burden's there.

Before I brushed past the clothed door I noticed that Burden's cloak is still lying next to the campfire. Either he didn't want to wake me up to get it or he isn't going into town. Ignoring the rest of my thoughts about the subject, I went outside into the snowy ecosystem. Light amounts of snowflakes are raining down from the sky and decorating my fur. This would have been a joyous experience if the snowflakes were not made out of something called H20. I walked out closer to the cliff's edge to see an enormous view of the region. I noticed something imprinted in the snow that lead from the cave, to the rocky mountainside, towards the white covered forest. As I came closer to the indents in the snow next to the cave, I realized that there was more than just one set of tracks. There were Burden's paw prints and then another Pokemon's paw prints. Did Burden run off with someone into the woodland? Once again I wiped the thoughts from my mind. The logical way of doing this would be to follow the tracks and find Burden, so I guess I should get started.

I glimpsed over the edge of the cliff and almost instantly I felt dizzy and backed up a little. By the looks of it, this is an eighteen-foot cliff. Of course. Burden would have helped me get down before but if I do it by myself… No. I CAN do it. I drew in a sharp breath and began scouting down the mountain. My paws slipped and slid making me gasp and tremble. The steepness of this mountain plus the icy snow doesn't help, and my body isn't exactly built to climb up and down snowy regions. I was about ten feet high when my back leg slipped from under me and I came sledding down. I screamed in terror and shock as I approached the bottom of the slope. Much to my relief yet irritation, a big glob of snow nestled below. I tensed up and closed my eyes as my body became engulfed in cold, white powder. The chilliness didn't bother me much since my temperature rose on the way down, but even so my fur was moist. I frowned at this and then shook my entire body to get rid of the excess snow. It didn't work quite well but nonetheless it counts as something. I trudged out of the pile and focused my attention on the set of tracks. I then began to follow the trail with determination.

After walking for such a long time that I don't even know, I reached the frost-covered forest. Even decorated in wretched snow this place is pretty cool. I redirected my attention on the paw prints. It seems like the longer I followed them, the more fresher the imprints looked. I continued walking onward. The prints look so recent. Maybe I'm closer than I think. I paused for a moment. I have no clue why but my instincts told me to stand still and be quiet. I heard something. Voices up ahead of me. I stuck low to the ground even though my fur colors pretty much give me away in this environment. I crawled closer to the voices, noticing that the tracks were also leading me to them. I then heard Burden's dark tone mumbling ahead of me so I crept up behind a nearby bush and listened. I caught him in the middle of a heated conversation.

"What were you doing in my cave?" Burden's voice was loud but controlled. I can't see what's going on but someone must have gone into our home when we were sleeping.

A long pause… My curiosity got the best of me and I tried to slowly look over the bush, just before I did I stopped myself and crouched back down. I don't want to expose my cover. Finally the classified character spoke. "You tink you can lie to me an' _not_ get away wit it?" The Pokemon snapped. I inwardly sighed. Of coarse it would be Yang.

"What do you mean?" Burden demanded angrily.

"You know what I mean! You said that Flareon chick was your mate. Well guess what? I got buddies working in da shadows and they see what goes on." Yang started getting snippy.

I can tell that Burden started to get annoyed by tone in his voice. "And who exactly are these 'buddies'?" He asked in a low monotone voice.

"Let's just say they're my clients, my helpers and my amigos." Yang answered mockingly.

"So you just wanted to try and steal from me because I told a little white lie?" Burden growled.

"Lil'? Nah man you ain't talkin' 'bout some white lie. Where I come from, lying to me is like lying to a Don." Yang chuckled darkly. "An' Dons always get their sweet revenge."

"A Don?" Burden sounded confused. I don't blame him. I don't even know what a Don is. Isn't that a name? "What is a Don?" Burden questioned.

I heard Yang sigh. "Neva' mind." He changed the subject. "The fact 'tis that you caught me red handed so I guess I won't continue to 'borrow' yo things… for now."

Burden growled deeply after that statement. "Well what were you going to steal anyway? I have nothing of value."

"Pfft, says you." Yang rustled with something. I still can't see so of course I have no clue what it is. "So then, what were ya gonna do wit 'tis?" Yang sneered.

"Where- How did you find that?" Burden stammered. He sounded a little panicked about whatever Yang was holding.

"Oh 'tis?" Yang ceased talking for a moment, probably doing something to taunt Burden. "Well, my bloody red friend, hiding sumtin' as valuable as _this_ behind a berry bin is so predictable. At least some of your lie was _sorta_ true." Yang teased.

"Quiet!" Burden snapped. "Give it back, now." He warned in a slow manner. What does Yang mean by 'sorta true'?

"Hmm… Well I guess I can give this back to ya." Yang sighed in a bored tone and threw something at Burden. "Don't do it again. When I say that, I mean don't follow me aroun' and don't lie to my face." He spat. "Anyhow, laters." Yang cackled. Then I heard leaves rustling, which meant that he finally left.

I was about to back away slowly and try to make my way back to the cave before Burden did. But by dumb luck I had to step on a tree branch and make a loud snapping sound. I cringed as I gradually removed my paw away from the broken twig. Then came Burden's agitated voice. "Who's there?"

I wish I were a Kecleon so I could disappear. However I am not so I was forced to stand up and face Burden. He looked surprised to see me. I saw him hide something behind himself hastily but I ignored it and concentrated on the conversation. I did my best to not look guilty but I usually suck at that. "Hiya…" I smiled awkwardly.

"How'd you get here?" Burden asked quizzically.

"I followed your paw prints." I breathed as I pointed at the trail behind me. Burden nodded as a reply.

"How much did you hear?" He seemed to be troubled over something.

"Not much." I fibbed. "I only heard Yang's laughter so I'm sure I missed a lot."

Burden thought for a second. "Okay then… But hey, you go on ahead and return to the cave. I have some unfinished business to take care of."

"Okay, I'll see you later." I piped as I turned away and began traveling back home. I wonder what that item was that Yang took. And why is it so important to Burden?

* * *

"So what is it?" I chimed as Burden kept the mysterious item behind his form.

"I can't give it to you _now_." Burden smirked. "So I'm just going to hide it until then."

"Aw, but why?" I tilted my head trying to see the item behind him but he just covered it up.

"You'll find out later." Burden finished as he motioned his paw for me to leave. "Go outside real quick."

"Okay then." I sighed and slowly made my way outside. It was dark and cold outside. There isn't any snowfall, which is weird since we're in a winter wasteland. I pawed at the snow in boredom, and then I heard Burden's voice calling me back in. I sprinted inside, hoping to catch him in the act of hiding his item. Unfortunately he was already done so I sat down in front of the fire and pouted. "Well where is it?"

Burden gleamed. "I'm not telling." He laughed.

My tail flicked around in annoyance. I really want to know though… Grr.

The shiny Absol noticed my impatience and chuckled some more. "Don't worry, you'll see it someday."

"How 'bout today?" I asked cheerfully.

"Nope." He said simply.

"…" I don't like waiting. I dazed off into the fire in defeat. I really want to know what that item is!

"Well I'm off to bed so have fun staying up all night with anxiety." Burden mocked in a singsong tone. He curled up on his gray cloak and closed his sapphire eyes.

"I will…" I whispered with a grin. I don't think Burden heard me, which is good. I want to go outside and travel. Maybe I can find one of Yang's 'buddies' to help me find out what that item is. I crept away slowly from the warm fire and the slumbering Absol. I won't be gone all night so I'm not going to tell him of my absence. I licked my paw and cleaned my face quickly, and then I slid through the door with caution.

Outside had become much colder. I tucked my paws in and raised my temperature. The icy air simply repelled from my fur as I walked over towards the mountain path. I felt my heart rate quicken as I looked down. I saw void blackness with gray splotches. Suddenly I thought of an idea. I breathed in, feeling the flame sac in my body start to grow hotter. Finally I reached deep within myself and gradually spewed out a tiny flame from my mouth. I can't keep this up for long so with reckless abandon, I raced down the mountainside. I slid most of the way down. Right before I hit the same pile of snow as before, I stopped my long routine of exhaling and inhaled. However I inhaled the snow not oxygen. I started to choke and cough as I dragged myself out of the pile of cold and white powder. Perhaps this idea was not the best in the world. I finally managed to stop coughing and looked up. No longer was there plain darkness. The bright snow made everything look gray. I thanked Mother Nature for being on my side even though I burn down more than one tree in a month. I trudge towards the direction of where Snowpoint City is located. I remember where it is since I have traveled around Sinnoh for so long. The way there is long from the mountain but I am almost certain that I can go and return from there within one night. As I walk I can't help but wonder… What is that dang item?

* * *

I shook my body, causing all the excess snow to fall off. Finally I have reached Snowpoint City. Though at night it seems somewhat, well, sinister. As my paws padded down the main street of the city I couldn't help but feel a cold chill run down my back. It wasn't from the snow either. My breathing tempo quickened. Suddenly I realized that I was getting scared. I grew agitated and snapped out of it. What is there to be scared of? Nothing! There's nothing here… at all. My throat grew dry as I continued down the street. Maybe I wouldn't be so frightened if there were some lampposts in this town. My entire being jolted violently as a loud crashing sound erupted from an alleyway. The same alleyway I saw Grunt and Yang have that negotiation. Terror turned into to horror as I shakily approached the dark space between the two buildings. Another clatter sounded as I began entering the alley of doom. Time got slower and my awareness increased. My every step had a lag as I crept deeper into the depths of the opening. No way should I be so scared. Probably just a Skitty finding its way into a dumpster. It's logical. Yeah. I sighed within my mind. No matter how much I think positive there is always that big gaping hole of fear. I can no longer see what's in front of me and I stop.

My voice nearly cracked as I began to speak. "Is there a-anyone here?"

"We don't _like_ trespassers snooping around in our alley." A voice hissed. My skin crawled as the rugged yet breathy voice came from the deeper shadows of the alley.

I don't know where the voice emerged from since the place had a slight echo, but I did my best to stay composed and unfazed. My throat restricted itself as I boldly replied. "Sorry for trespassing." I sincerely called. "I didn't mean to bother you or your friends so I'll just be going."

As I turned tail, I saw the faint light bleeding in from the outer world. I only advanced two steps before I heard a loud rattle of cans. A cold gale of air brushed past me as a large creature appeared from the unknown and blocked my path to freedom. The silhouette before me was anything but visible. I couldn't even guess it was so dark. I stared at the being with a blank expression. A figure loomed over me on two legs. It wasn't until I stopped focusing off the middle of the beast that I saw two claws protruding from the Pokemon's paws. Out of nowhere, a rush of adrenaline kicked in and I charged up a Fire Blast. The clawed form in front of me gasped as it saw my mouth conjure up a giant ball of flame. As I fired the flaming ball out of my mouth I heard a pained holler. Adrenaline turned into twitches as I shakily walked over to the injured creature, panting.

I looked at the Pokemon's face. I never saw such a creature before so I couldn't help but ask my offender a question. "What are you?" I practically murmured.

The clawed one's face became visible in the lunar light and revealed a grayish body with red feathers coming out from the top of its head like a crown. As it barely got up in a dazed fashion I couldn't help but notice that its body shape resembled a Meowth's. I stepped back a pace as the feline-like creature supported itself against a wall, breathing in a short, rough manner.

"I said," I hesitated a little from nervousness. "What are you?"

The Pokemon looked up and scowled at me, making me flinch. "My name…" The feathered organism grimaced in pain. I probably burned him. However he recovered and continued talking. "Is Scratch…"

My memory suddenly struck me. Scratch? "Hey, Scratch." I barely spoke. "Did you ever meet a red Absol?" I asked almost like he wasn't just trying to kill me.

I suddenly realized that I let down my guard as the clawed Pokemon darkly sneered. But then he grimaced once more and almost fell to his knees, so I knew I was safe. Even though this thing is injured, I want my answers.

I put on a fake hellish expression and stride toward him. I want him nice and scared if I'm going to get a reply out of such a scumbag. The moonlight illuminated my face as I approached the clawed creature. His very own expression turned from confidently sinister to absolutely petrified. The dark male became frozen as I stopped in front of him, basically eye to eye. In an unpleasant tone I muttered into his ear. "Tell me what your pathetic specie is and then answer this: Have you ever seen a shiny Absol?"

I calmly moved away from him but not drastically. The Pokemon dropped to his knees and started to beg, which made me feel sorry for the guy because truthfully I'm not that scary. As he pleaded, his whispery voice hissed as he spoke. "Please don't kill me! I'm just trying to make a living from what I've got!" Suddenly the creature bowed down to me, making me feel no longer bad but instead creeped out. "I'm a Weavile! And yes, yes I saw a shiny Absol before, just PLEASE don't kill me!"

His rapid breaths were all I could hear in the silent night. I tapped the Weavile on the back with my paw. He violently jumped as I poked him and then fell back on his bottom, looking absolutely terrified. I stifled a giggled as I reverted back to my casual face. "No I don't want to kill you, I just wanted you to stop acting like a moron and reply." I smiled.

The Weavile seemed shocked, then annoyed as he stood up. Even though he was still trembling and injured from the Fire Blast, he could stand in an unbalanced stature. "You're insane." Scratch hissed as he glared at me. Then a smile tugged at his lips. "I like it."

I scowled at the comment. "Hey don't you dare get any ideas you pervert." I declared sternly. "The red Absol is my-" I stopped myself and blankly stared off into space. Was I…? No. I shook my head. No, I wasn't. Not at all. Nope. Didn't say it.

The Weavile watched me with confused amusement. "What was that?" He grinned deviously.

"Nothing!" I retorted angrily. "Look here, you have nothing around here and you need shelter so follow me!" I ordered him in a quick matter.

The Weavile shrugged. I passed by Scratch, trotting toward the lighted exit and he followed. As we wordlessly made our way back to the cave my mind raced. There's no way I could really be… I mean I don't really feel… Hm… Denial is a funny thing.

* * *

It was nearing dawn when I returned to the cave. Burden should be awake though, which made me mentally note to ask him why he always is later. Before entering through the clothed entranced I whispered in a loud voice so Scratch could hear. "Just wait for a second."

After walking through the teal cloth, Burden immediately ran up to me. "What were you doing out there all night?" He asked in a worried tone. "Where you trying to find Blair or something?" His face was so sincere I almost felt bad. Luckily, I have a story behind it all.

I smiled warmly at him and quickly licked his nose. "We have a new resident moving in our little home." I announced in a singsong voice.

Bewildered, Burden replied. "How so?"

"Glad you asked." I cheerfully perked. Leaving the confused Absol only for a second, I peeked my head outside the cloth and whispered over towards the Weavile who was apparently admiring his claws. "Hey Scratch, come inside!"

I retracted my head away from the outside entrance and faced Burden again. He looked at me, I gestured for him to look over at the entrance and there came Scratch. Appearing rather loathsome, Scratch waved a claw at the red Absol, muttering a quick and low 'hi'.

Tilting his head questionably, Burden looked at me with uncertainty. "Are you sure this is Scratch?"

"Yes!" I cried out in joy yet slight shock. He didn't believe that this was Scratch?

Burden then walked over towards Scratch and made eye contact with him. "So how've you been doing? I mean, after running away and all."

Sighing in defeat, Scratch dropped the tough Pokemon act. "Dreadful." He hissed in disdain. "I've been living in shadowed alleyways in Snowpoint City since leaving this place. The only good thing that happened afterward was my evolution."

"I see." Burden acknowledged. Nodding his head as if saying 'yeah sure whatever'. However the Weavile did not notice.

"Oh, by the way…" Scratch moved closer to me and put a clawed paw on my head, making me nervous. "You've got yourself one tough mate." He announced in a mocking way filled with fake enthusiasm.

Burden's eyes widened in slight astonishment and disapproval. But before he could do or say anything I snapped and bit the arm of Scratch's claw, the one on the top of my head. "Damnit!" The Weavile cursed as he rubbed his arm with his sharp-clawed hand.

"I never said that!" I angrily shouted. I felt embarrassed by his comment and my reaction but darn it, it can't be helped!

"You were going to." Scratch sneered.

Burden turned toward him with words like daggers. "If your going to live with us then you better start acting more like a gentleman and less like an idiot!"

Scratch humphed and crossed his arms, looking away from him and me. "Fine!" He retorted defiantly.

"Good." Burden walked over to the fire and lied down. I strutted over to him and joined him, snuggling up to him happily. Burden looked down at me and smiled but then looked up at Scratch who was watching us with great amusement. "You sleep over there." Burden eyed the corner of the room, the corner of which Scratch would be three feet away from the clothed door.

Not in the mood for an argument apparently, the Weavile trudged over to the corner of the room. He put his back up against it, put his arms behind him and fell asleep rather quickly.

Eyeing him with suspicion, Burden lowered his head next to mine and closed his eyes. "Goodnight Pyra." He whispered serenely.

"'Night Burden." I happily replied and fluttered my eyes closed. Even though it was morning, we all decided to go to sleep. I don't know how Burden could but I'm not too sure when he awoke so I'm not one to question. Even though my mouth didn't say it there was one thing buzzing in my mind that I wanted to say before going to sleep. _I love you._

* * *

**Sorry I haven't updated in a while. I've been busy! Plus, this is a pretty long chapter. Anyway thanks again for reading and look forward to more chappies! Bye!**


	10. Conflicts, battles and information

Light snowfall coming from the gray clouds above covered my coat in snowflakes. I sighed in content. I don't mind the cold anymore. I sort of gotten used to it. The morning sun dimly shone through the dark clouds, causing a smile to tug at the corners of my muzzle. I was the first to awake as usual. I shuffled my paws anxiously and looked all around me. Snow of course, but if you look past it then you can see a beautiful view of frosted trees and mountains.

I looked behind me at the clothed door. Still too early for them I guess. I stifled a yawn and gazed over the horizon again. It's funny. I mean I've been living this life for about three months and so much has happened, but… There's always something bugging me. There's this aching inside of me that keeps on pestering me no matter what I do. I don't know what it is.

"Hey there, princess." I nearly jumped out of my coat as a mocking Weavile stepped out from the cave's entrance. I gritted my teeth in irritation from seeing him smile with pleasure. How dare he scare me like that!

"What's your problem?" I calmly argued, glowering over my shoulder with scorn.

Scratch crossed his arms and tilted his head. "What? Can I not say hello?" He sneered.

I flicked my tail in annoyance and veered my attention back onto the winter setting. Scratch has been doing this to me monotonously ever since we allowed him to live with us. Stupid Weavile doesn't even appreciate what we've done for him. I sensed Scratch watching me from behind. He's bound to say something stupid soon.

My prediction came true as the clawed Pokemon opened his yap. "Don't get your fur frizzled. Jeez, Yang is ten times more fun than you and that stupid furball in that infernal cave." Scratch pointed out in a bored hiss.

I let out a huff of resentment. If there are two Pokemon in this world that should have never met, it is totally Yang and Scratch. At first they deeply despised each other. Then suddenly, one day, they realized that they were both sarcastic fools that talked nothing but smack. I hope no one else has to experience such horror when these two meet up with one another. I don't even know how I put up with it.

"Morning…" A dark, groggy voice emerged from the cave behind me.

My mood brightened as I heard the voice. I turned around hastily. "Good morning, Burden!" I saw that the red Absol was still exhausted. However I aim to fix that.

"Here comes the bride!" Scratch rasped sarcastically. He started to chuckle at his own comment.

Slowly turning his head, Burden gave Scratch a menacing glare. "I'm not in the mood, Scratch."

The Weavile stopped laughing, his expression turned serious. "Pfft. That's it, I'm going off to Eterna Forest. You Pokemon are total joy kills." With that, Scratch hopped over towards the mountain trail and soon disappeared into the frost tipped pines. He's visiting Yang once more it seems. I sighed at this.

I glanced over at Burden from the corner of my eye and flinched. Not a good morning for him I suppose. I opened my mouth to say something but the shiny Absol that trudged up beside me beat me to it. "So how was your morning?" Burden tiredly asked, plopping down on the ground right next to me.

I stared down at my paws and replied. "Nothing special." I plainly retorted.

"I see." Burden yawned, putting his head down on his forepaws and closing his sapphire eyes. "Same here."

I couldn't help but stare at the Absol. He seems so peaceful, yet fierce. The scythe on his head gives off that look I guess. Apparently as I was daydreaming I didn't notice that Burden was glancing up at me from the corner of his eye. I immediately turned my head away. How rude to look at someone like that! I shook my head to clear my mind.

"You okay?" The sleepy Absol questioned, lifting his head up in concern.

"N-no!" I sharply answered. Quickly, I realized that I was panicking and calmed down. "I'm fine. I'm just tired." I sat down and began to groom myself. Using a habit to my advantage isn't too noticeable. I mean, no one else has noticed it before… Right?

Burden shrugged carelessly and lowered his head back onto his forepaws. I quietly sighed and wrapped myself with my big, fluffy tail. Why am I so awkward when it comes to making conversation?

* * *

"Would you just shut up!?" Burden shouted. My ears flattened against my head as I backed up against the 'neat' corner of the separated room. I don't like verbal fighting as much as I like physical fighting. Right now, four Pokemon are yelling at each other. I'm grateful to be left out of the situation but… I also feel like I've been abandoned.

"No!" Yang shouted darkly. "I can say whateva I want!" He growled.

Scratch took a step in front of Yang. "You just want to stop us from having fun!" The Weavile rasped.

"_How is stealing things fun?!_" The shiny Espeon known as Ying screamed into our minds.

I sat solemnly in the corner of the room, still, watching the fight progress much to my anguish. For a moment, everyone looked like they were in a double battle. Burden and Ying versus Scratch and Yang. The atmosphere grew tense as everyone abruptly stopped arguing to menacingly glared at each other. Why did Yang influence Scratch to steal? Partners in crime. That must be it. He wanted a lackey.

My thoughts were interrupted by Burden's stern tone. "You know what Scratch? Why don't you just live here from now on? We certainly don't need YOU around in the cave!"

"That's just fine with me!" Scratch yelled back stubbornly. "I'll make a place to sleep around here. I don't need YOUR shelter!" He raised a claw up, like he was going to attack.

Burden crouched down, ready to counterattack. Suddenly, Ying and Yang started to enter their fighting poses too. I felt anger of my own start to rise. I was angry at Yang for starting all this up. I was angry at Scratch for learning his behavior. I was angry that I wasn't acknowledged. I was angry at everything. All I wanted at that moment was for the fighting to stop. My old fighting spirit unleashed itself as I let loose a blazing Flamethrower between the two opposing forces.

All the Pokemon blinked and looked at me in shock and confusion. Anger flared wildly in my chest. "ENOUGH!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. "I've had it! I'm tired of everyone fighting! JUST STOP!" The room fell silent again. I panted after emptying out all of my frustration. Everyone looked at me like I was crazy. I gave no mind to that though. I immediately felt like a demented Spinda.

Noticing the uncomfortable silence, I recollected myself and lowered my ears as I bowed my head apologetically. "Please stop arguing." I murmured and looked up at them all with pleading eyes. "Yang, you have been stealing, lying and illegally bargaining for a long time. Teaching such things to Scratch isn't exactly helping everyone's lifestyles." Scratch's eyes connected with mine. "Scratch, if you can't take responsibility of your own actions…" My composure returned and I stood erect with a firmer expression on my face. "Then you will have to live… somewhere else."

I continued to stand boldly. The room remained silent, all eyes still on me. The pit of my gut seemed like it had a knot in it as I felt my proud stature begin to fade away. It was Scratch's low yet wispy voice that broke the silence. "That's fine with me." He muttered. "I'm going to go rogue again and live in Eterna City." The Weavile's cocky personality returned. "That town has more life and food in it anyway!" Scratch jerked his head away with crossed arms.

Ying nodded in a cold yet agreeable way. "_As long as you don't steal anything of mine again… I don't care_." The emerald Espeon looked away and muttered purposely in our minds. "_That Soothe Bell sure would come in handy right now…_"

Burden glowered at the Weavile, finally done staring at me with questioning eyes. "I never knew you would be this much of a handful." He silently growled.

Scratch smiled proudly after that comment. It made me want to knock him out. However, I am the peacemaker in this situation. Knocking out Scratch would result to a huge brawl. I simply stood and nodded, faking a small grin of content.

Yang flicked his tail in displeasure as he walked towards the exit. "I'm outta here. Smell ya furballs later." With that, Yang disappeared through the branched door. All of us shook our heads is disapproval except for Scratch who followed after his close friend in pursuit.

"_We are awfully sorry for putting you through that Miss Pyra._" Ying bowed his head as he mentally spoke. "_It was improper of us to start an argument like that._" The shiny feline rose and stared at me with begging eyes.

I blinked. "Oh, no, I'm sorry!" I stammered. "I didn't mean to outburst like that."

"It's okay." Burden padded up behind me. "I understand."

I focused on my paws. I think I just made myself look like an idiot back there. That is no way to handle such a situation! Well, at least the conflict is settled. I jeered my head up as I saw Ying trot up to me.

"_To tell the truth Pyra, I don't really need the Soothe Bell anymore. But recently, I've been losing my possessions. I thought it was just Yang but I found him and Scratch returning back home from one of their so-called 'trades'._" Ying looked deeply into my eyes, causing me to have an uneasy feeling in my spine. "_If you ever find a Mightyena with a bag, I want you to steal something called a Twistedspoon from him._"

"Twistedspoon?" Burden repeated, tilting his head in confusion. "Why would you want an item that sounds like rubbish?"

Ying telekinetically sighed and shook his head. "_I forgot that you never understood the ways of humans and their inventions._" Ying shot a glance at me and I gave him a slight shrug. Burden seemed slightly irritated by his choice of words. "_Alas, the item Twistedspoon-_"

"Raises psychic attacks by ten percent." I covered my muzzle with a scarlet paw. "Uh… Sorry."

Ying raised and eyebrow in amusement. "_No worries, it seems like you have great knowledge of the humans, being a former battler and all._"

I smirked at this for a second until I realized what he said. **Former battler**? My eyes pierced through Ying as I stood up, offended. "Now wait just a second Ying." I stated firmly. "I am _still_ a Pokemon battler and even though I'm inexperienced out here in the wild, I can take care of myself!"

Burden seemed quiet. Ying chuckled lightly in my mind. "_Then why weren't you able to defend yourself when the Garchomp attacked you? How 'bout when you were in the Pokemon Center and didn't want us to leave? You clearly cannot take care of yourself._" Ying said mentally in a slight mocking tone.

I winced as I felt a stab in my dignity. Is he calling me out? I clenched my teeth and tried my best not to lose my cool. (Bad pun) "I took Scratch on all by myself last month. Besides, it was kind of hard getting used to the whole 'fight for yourself under your own rules' phase after being separated from my Trainer." I argued grudgingly. "I'm different now and have done a pretty good job surviving this long."

Ying fell silent. I sat back down swishing my tail, feeling pride in finally getting my point through. Ying turned away from me and strolled over to his bed. He lied down and closed his royal blue eyes. "_You are entirely right._" The green feline serenely said in my mind. My face turned vacant as he continued. "_I should have known better than to judge you. There is no mistake that you are Torcher's daughter._" He laughed.

"Torcher?" I took a few steps closer towards him. "Who's that?"

"_He didn't tell you his name?_" Ying asked whilst opening his eyes. "_That's your father's name. He forgets his own manners from time to time but I swear to Arceus that he is a great leader in the organization…_" Ying murmured in my head.

"How do you know so much about the organization?" Burden asked from behind me, causing me to twitch from surprise. I looked up at him after his question. So-

"_Must I remind you that my father worked there?_" Ying responded flatly, interrupting my thoughts.

"Of course…" Burden growled lightly in his throat.

Ying raised a paw limply as he relaxed his muscles. "_Thank you for helping me with my situation from earlier, however I would like some peace and quiet so I can meditate. Farewell._" With a deep breath, the shiny Espeon closed his eyes and began to slightly purr.

I glanced over to my side and nodded as Burden signaled me for our leave. We padded out of the comfy home and squinted as our eyes were exposed to the bright and glowing sun hanging over our heads. I smiled and fluffed out my fur. The heat felt nice and it made me feel more energized. Since I lived up in the cold mountains with Burden, I couldn't get rays of warmth like I used to.

Burden turned towards me as I soaked up the heat. "So what do you want to do now?" Burden questioned me coolly.

I gazed at him from the corner of my eye and replied with a grin. "Want to go beat up wild Pokemon?"

Burden seemed baffled. "What?"

I faced him in a questioning manner. "You mean you don't train?"

Burden shuffled his paws. "Well, not really but-"

"Well then I guess we'll have to change that starting today!" I interrupted him cheerfully. Burden looked slightly unsettled as I continued. "Come on, I'll show ya!"

Almost instantly I scurried off towards some nearby tall grass. I looked through the blades and heard Burden stealthily make his way beside me. When I saw his expression I could have sworn he was thinking 'She's crazy'.

I was caught off guard as a dark figure rammed into me, knocking the breath out of my lungs. I rolled to a stop and immediately got up to face my attacker. A Lopunny! Burden looked at me and I stared back at him, sending him the message to watch me and stand back. He understood and slinked further back into the tall grass. I turned my attention back on the Lopunny. As usual they look very beautiful but also dangerous. I learned not to judge a book by its cover a long time ago when I fought a Buneary. They are tough even then. I scowled as I saw a Black Belt tied around the Lopunny's waist. I'm guessing that this rabbit Pokemon is part of the illegal trades like Yang and Scratch.

"Where'd you get that item, Lopunny?" I growled as I lowered myself into an attack position.

The Lopunny's voice surprised me, as it sounded like a feminine male. "That's for me to know and for you to die from!" Almost instantly my floppy-eared opponent rushed towards me and hit my side with a Jump Kick. The pain was incredible upon impact and I could've sworn that the Black Belt was working a little **too** well.

I shook my body and faced my enemy. I realized that the tall grass made it hard to see things from low ground. The heat from my inflamed canines increased as I prepared myself for the move Fire Fang. The Lopunny looked ready for the assault but as I rushed towards him, I slid in-between his legs and crunched into the flesh on his right leg. A howl of pain escaped the rabbit's throat as I pierced deeper into his leg. I quickly let go of his limb and the flames in my mouth died down. The fighting bunny fell forward onto his knees. Without giving a care about mercy, I charged up a Shadow Ball and released it into the Loppuny's face, knocking him unconscious after writhing in pain on the ground.

I returned to my normal stature and trotted up to Burden who was still ducked down in the tall grass. "Ever done something like that before?" I asked the blue-eyed Absol.

Burden stood up and shrugged. "Kind of." He stated. "But I don't start fights, I end them."

I nodded and cheerfully replied. "Well said."

"Let's go back home now. I'm actually getting bored of the forest for once." Burden said in a careless manner as he walked out of the tall grass.

"Okay, let's go then." I replied from behind. I took a few paces and then stopped. Maybe I should take the Black Belt away from that Lopunny? I turned around and found the Lopunny's unconscious body. I rolled him over and tried to untie the belt. It was hard to do with only my teeth but in the end I finally got it off of him. I smiled in victory as I tugged the belt out from under him. When I turned around to walk away, I felt a massive weight plunge into me. I nearly blacked out as I rolled through the tall grass. I shook my head and blinked the blurry vision away as I set my eyes on two new figures. A Granbull pounded its fist into its hand as it glared dangerously at me. Behind the fairy creature was an unfriendly looking Delcatty. Oh great, this is just what I needed.

I pushed myself back onto my paws and took a couple steps forward. "What's the big idea?" I practically growled.

The Delcatty snobbishly strutted in front of the ticked off Granbull and sneered. "Well we can't exactly let some puny Flareon take down one of our agents now can we?"

"You want me to pound her?" The Granbull asked the female feline with much blood thirst in his tone. I mentally shrunk back.

"No need. I think this peasant has some skill." The purple and tan cat continued. She stared deeply into my eyes. I felt frozen by her gaze but I couldn't help but feel outraged by being called a peasant. The Delcatty smiled. "How would you like to join the Anti-Human Pokemon Union?"

I immediately felt power surge through my body after hearing that question. I sat down contently and fluffed my fur out to appear bigger. "I am the daughter of the boss that works at your organization."

The Delcatty looked back at the Granbull, both appearing bewildered. The Delcatty looked back at me with the same expression. "Our boss doesn't have a daughter." She pointed out slowly. "Or any kid at all in fact."

My brain was mashed right then and there. My face clearly showed it too. "Torcher the Houndoom? Isn't he the leader of your organization?"

"Oh!" The two Pokemon exclaimed simultaneously.

I looked at them weirdly. What an odd bunch.

"I see why we were mistaken." the Delcatty grinned. "See, your dad is the leader of the fire-type hideout. That's only _part_ of the organization."

"Bwuahahaha!" The male Granbull guffawed. "We are part of the normal-type hideout of the organization. Did daddy not tell you? Bahaha!"

I was too shocked to reply straightforward but I did shake my head no. That might explain why I saw so many fire-types there. I then remembered something. "But wait a second… If the organization is split up into types, then why is a Garchomp named Slick working for my dad at the fire-type hideout?"

They both laughed again. I averted my eyes away from them for a second to see the Lopunny still unconscious. I also noticed that the Black Belt was tangled around my front paw. I quickly untangled the belt and sat on it. By the time the two normal types were done laughing, I successfully hid the battle item.

The Delcatty licked her paw and cleaned her face as she began to speak. "Slick is a trouble maker. He's been transferred to different parts of the organization so many times that it's like going on vacation for him!" She stopped pampering herself. "He was part of the dragon-type hideout until he 'accidentally' killed his best friend while destroying the Galactic Base in Veilstone. I mean, how can you accidentally kill someone?"

"Amen to that sister!" The Granbull joked.

I shuffled my paw uncomfortably. I hope they leave soon, Burden will be coming back to look for me if I wait here any longer and I don't want him to get mixed up with these guys.

"Anyways," The Delcatty returned to her snobbish demeanor. "We better get going Twinkle toes." She sighed, turning away from me and slowly padding away out of the tall grass.

"Aw c'mon Roxy! Stop making fun of my name!" The fairy dog called out as he hauled the Loppuny onto his back and sprinted after the snotty cat.

I couldn't help but burst out into laughter after hearing the Granbull's name. Twinkle? "Ahahaha~!" After settling down, I remembered the Black Belt I hid under my body. I sat up and picked up the battered belt with my canines. After a couple steps I noticed I was limping. Weird, I can't feel any pain except a tiny ache. I shrugged it off and continued to stagger through the forest. A mile later, my crimson hero appeared at the edge of the forest, calling my name. My eyes glittered from the sound of the dark type's voice. My eyes started to get droopy and blurred as I tried to drag myself towards the horned Pokemon. I was so close until the blackness took over. I felt the belt slip from my mouth and the figure of my love fade. _B-Burden…_


	11. The unexpected turn

**I know that this is a short chapter. I rushed it so of course it's not of the best. Enjoy anyway, if you can...**

* * *

I woke up easier than usual. Actually, I felt so energized that I didn't even feel like stretching. Confused, I checked my surroundings. A dark cage! Immediately I used Flamethrower on the bars, but they didn't melt. I started to panic and the ache that I felt before started to bug me. I had no choice but to stop moving. I lied down but I was still in a poor state of mind. What's going on? What's happening!?

"LET ME OOUUT!" I howled wildly.

"Shaddup already!" A high-pitched voice shouted from below me. "We all have to suffer. What makes you so special, huh?"

I blinked in confusion. "Hello?" I called softly.

"Yeah, hi, can you do me a favor and STOP YELLING?!" The same voice replied in annoyance.

I shrunk back into the corner of my small cage, the pain still nagging at me. I didn't know that there were other Pokemon in this place… "I-I'm sorry." I apologized. "I didn't-"

"Leave the poor fire type alone, Grudge." A soft but whiny voice interrupted. It came from my left.

"Nobody was talking to you, Marine!" The opposing voice continued to antagonize.

I walked up to my cage bars and rattled them with my paw, hoping that the two Pokemon would stop bickering. The ache was getting worse and I could hardly stand it. "Excuse me but where am I?" I managed to ask.

The high-pitched voice laughed at me cruelly. Making me feel like I said something stupid. "Ever hear about Team Galactic by any chance?" He cackled.

"Team Galactic?!" I shouted in alarm.

"Hey, I said to be quiet you fire-breathing moron!" The voice insulted me once again. I heard a rattle in his cage.

"I'm sorry…" I whimpered. "B-but how did I get captured? Last thing I remember is walking through the forest to see a… _friend_, of mine and then I woke up here…"

The soft voice to my left started to speak. "Well we can't exactly tell you how you got here but we know who just recently got captured." She cooed.

My curiosity led me to ask an off-topic question. "Well who else other than me?"

The high-pitched voice from below interrupted the soft one. "Well let's see here…" He started in a sarcastic tone. "A scarred up Stantler, a shy Nuzleaf, a depressed Pikachu and… Well I heard that a few Galactic goons got some new Pokemon, but it's not like I care."

"Why not?" I questioned, almost shocked at how mean this new Pokemon was acting.

"Pfft, don't you get it?" He rhetorically shouted. "Once a Pokemon gets captured by one of those new devices that those Galactic scientists made, the Pokemon's free will gets taken away and only obeys its master."

"That's terrible!" I announced.

"We know." The serene yet irritating voice muttered in gloom.

We've got to- Argh!" The pain was too much to take and I collapsed onto the cage floor.

"What happened?" The gentle voice called out in worry.

"I… Don't know." I tried to tell her. I looked at my hind leg and saw a sticky barb! Without thinking I quickly swatted the terrible burden off of me. Relief washed over me and the pain went away in seconds.

"Don't die on us now." The voice below me mocked.

"I'm okay now." I sighed in content. "I was just carrying a sticky barb somehow." Perhaps I got it when that Granbull ran into me. Hmm…

"Well what were you trying to say?" The soft voice asked.

" I was saying how we should escape with all the other captive Pokemon." I tried to sound confident but I knew that I was doing a terrible job.

An eruption of laughter came from beneath me. "You think you're the only one to have an escape plan? Ahahahaha!"

"Well we have to get out somehow…" I mumbled.

"Don't worry, hun. " the annoyingly calm voice soothed. "I'm sure we'll all get out… Someday."

I grumbled to myself and lied myself down onto the cold, metal cage floor. How did I get here? What happened to Burden? This doesn't make much sense to me at all… I suppose I'll just have to survive through this caged hell until the right time comes… I looked outside of my cage and only saw a door with a wooden table beside it. I then buried my head into my paws and began to sob. What did I do to get into this? It seems like everything I do is wrong. Every decision is a fault. I sighed and stood up, managing to control my sadness before speaking.

"Are we the only ones in here?" I asked the two unknown voices.

"That depressed Pikachu is supposed to be in the cage to your right by morning. No other Pokemon is going to be in this room though. Only us." The high-pitched voice huffed.

"Would it be alright if I knew what specie you guys are?" I chirped. I wanted to sound kind rather than demanding.

"I'm a Prinplup." The gentle voice happily introduced herself. "And yes my name is Marine."

"Hmph… The name's Grudge and I'm a Banette." He sounded defiant.

"Oh…" Was all I could say. I tried to think up something else. "Er… So how do you guys know so much about what goes on around this place?"

"I'm a ghost type. When the goons or the scientists come in here I read their minds." Grudge stated, sounding bored.

"I just ask what he finds out." The Prinplup giggled nervously.

"I see…" My mind wandered. I'm quite lucky to have a ghost type in my presence. Maybe we can learn some secrets about this place and escape.

"Just don't annoy me to the point where I have to use Dream Eater on you at night…" Grudge hissed. I felt a twinge of fear.

"Oh don't worry dear." Marine reassured me. "He won't do anything rash like that or else Team Galactic would have to… Exterminate him."

"Why?" I dared to ask.

"Because if we're dangerous then we can't be experimented on or trained. If we are so lethal that they can't control us, we die…" Grudge's voice faded.

I had no way to reply to that. My heart fluttered with many emotions. Maybe we can't escape? No… There _must_ be a way! I rattled my cage lightly to get their attention again. "I'm not giving up on escaping. If you guys want to help me break us all out then you're welcome to. Will you assist me?"

A long silence… My faith started to drain away as I got no reply. Marine then spoke up. "I will. I've been in this dreadful place since I was a Piplup, I want to escape!"

A grunt sounded from below me and I stared down at the floor, almost like I could see Grudge right beneath me. "I'll help too… Just don't push your luck. I'm not some kind of toy that you can play around with." He growled.

I tapped my claws against the metal floor in reply. My feelings towards escaping keep changing. As for now, I have faith that we can. The window that was invisible to me was shining orange light, telling me that it was evening. I decided to sleep earlier than usual. Because tomorrow is when I get to meet the new recruit. The only thing that I could think about the entire time I was trying to go to sleep was my crimson hero. Burden...


End file.
